Biocompatibility of apatite-coated titanium mesh prepared by hydrothermal-electrochemical method.

The hydrothermal-electrochemical method is best suited for producing homogeneous apatite coatings on electro-conductive materials with complicated shape, such as the mesh. This study was undertaken to examine the effect of the apatite coating prepared by this coating method on cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells in culture. The cells attached and spread well on the electrochemically deposited apatite on titanium mesh. The number of cells that adhered on the deposited apatite on titanium mesh was much greater than that on the surface without coating, and that it also depended on the morphology of apatites. When alkaline phosphatase activity as well as collagen and osteocalcin of the extracellular matrix were measured, the electrochemically apatite-coated titanium mesh showed higher measurement values than the titanium mesh without coating. These results suggested that the apatite-coated titanium mesh prepared by hydrothermal-electrochemical method has excellent biocompatibility.