Aim: the following work assessed the behavior of human Dental
Pulp Stem Cells (hDPSC) on PEEK and Titanium samples, in particular their ability to adhere, proliferate and differentiate into osteoblasts.
Methods: surface modifications were made to the samples by
pre-established protocols of sandblasting and laser micropatterning, to modulate surface roughness. After roughening treatments, samples were divided into two groups: nontreated
and treated with air-plasma cleaning process to modulate surface wettability. The hDPSCs were harvested from dental elements and, after expansion in the proper medium, were seeded on the samples to study their behavior. The analyses for
the adhesion and the proliferation were performed by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Alamar Blue test, while the differentiation in osteoblasts was evaluated by measuring AlkalinePhosphatase activity.
Results: all the samples tested are able to support hDPSCs
adhesion, proliferation and differentiation in osteoblasts with
differences depending on the material nature and surface. Laser micropatterned titanium samples, in particular, were the
best performing in terms of cell differentiation.
Air-plasma treatment does not affect cell adhesion and proliferation but improves cell differentiation, in particular on Titanium samples.
Conclusion: PEEK and Titanium are confirmed as excellent
materials to support the adhesion, the proliferation and the differentiation of the hDPSCs. The biological behavior is strong
