Effect of Silver-Containing Titania Layers for Bioactivity, Antibacterial Activity, and Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Ti Metal

Biomaterials with better osteogenic capacity, rapid osteo-integration, and higher mechanical strength are undoubtedly preferred for successful bone implant development. A porous sodium hydrogen titanate layer was formed on Ti metal by NaOH treatment, and the Na⁺ ions were replaced by Ag⁺ ions by subsequent AgNO₃ treatment that formed silver-containing hydrogen titanate. Heat treatment at 600 °C transformed sodium hydrogen titanate into sodium titanate with sheet-like morphology, whereas silver-containing hydrogen titanate was converted to anatase TiO₂ with an elongated rod-like structure. Further increment in temperature lead to the formation of rutile TiO₂ with distracted network morphology. Between these two, the anatase TiO₂ was ascertained to be bioactive by being capable of forming bonelike apatite in simulated body fluid within a period of 12 h. The concentration of silver on Ti metal was further optimized for better antibacterial activity against S. aureus and biocompatibility toward bone cells. A detailed investigation of thus optimized silver-containing Ti metal on the proliferation and differentiation of multipotent human mesenchymal stem cells further proved their biocompatibility nature and facilitation of osteogenic differentiation, thereby conferring those as ideally suited materials for bioimplant development in bone tissue engineering.