Immobilization of biofunctional molecule with potential osteoinductive efficacy on titanium implant for promoting early-stage osseointegration.

In the present study, porcine-derived collagen type I was covalently immobilized on the surface of titanium (Ti) implants via carboxyl groups introduced by bonded p-vinylbenzoic acid to investigate its in vitro biocompatibility with gingival stem cells and in vivo bone regeneration behavior in the edentulous ridges of Lanyu small-ear pigs at weeks 2 and 6 (short-term effectiveness) through micro-computed tomography and histological analysis. Analytical results found that gingival stem cells showed effective adhesion and spreading on these collagen-immobilized implant surfaces. After 2 and 6 weeks of healing, significant differences in Hounsfield units were observed among the control (week 2 (674.2 ± 79.9) ∗∗p < 0.01 and week 6 (596.4 ± 49.6) ∗∗p < 0.01), buffer-coated implant (week 2 (768.1 ± 68.7) ∗p < 0.05 and week 6 (720.4 ± 62.6) ∗p < 0.05), and collagen-immobilized implant (week 2 (828.2 ± 69.4) and week 6 (907.4 ± 63.5)) groups. No significant differences in bone-to-implant contact ratios were discovered between the investigated groups. However, the bone surface area results demonstrated an enhanced bone apposition for the collagen-immobilized implants compared to the control and buffer-coated implants at weeks 2 and 6 post-implantation (∗p < 0.05). Therefore, this preclinical study underscores the advantageous impact of collagen immobilization on Ti implant surfaces for clinical application, substantiating its effectiveness through significant evidence of improved osseointegration at early-stages.