Maintenance of a bone collagen phenotype by osteoblast-like cells in 3D periodic porous titanium (Ti-6Al-4 V) structures fabricated by selective electron beam melting.

Regular 3D periodic porous Ti-6Al-4 V structures were fabricated by the selective electron beam melting method (EBM) over a range of relative densities (0.17-0.40) and pore sizes (500-1500 µm). Structures were seeded with human osteoblast-like cells (SAOS-2) and cultured for four weeks. Cells multiplied within these structures and extracellular matrix collagen content increased. Type I and type V collagens typically synthesized by osteoblasts were deposited in the newly formed matrix with time in culture. High magnification scanning electron microscopy revealed cells attached to surfaces on the interior of the structures with an increasingly fibrous matrix. The in-vitro results demonstrate that the novel EBM-processed porous structures, designed to address the effect of stress-shielding, are conducive to osteoblast attachment, proliferation and deposition of a collagenous matrix characteristic of bone.