The effect of alendronate soaking and ultraviolet treatment on bone–implant interface

Objective Rapid and stable fixation of dental implants is crucial for successful treatment. Herein, we examined whether the simultaneous treatment of titanium implants with ultraviolet (UV) and alendronate (ALN) synergistically improved the bone-to-implant contact. Materials and methods We assessed the in vitro effects of UV radiation-treated (UV+/ALN−), ALN-soaked (UV−/ALN+), and UV radiation/ALN-treated (UV+/ALN+) titanium implants on cell proliferation, cytotoxicity, cell adhesion, and osteoblast differentiation using MG-63 osteoblast-like cells by the assays of MTS, live/dead, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and alizarin red S (AR-S) staining, respectively. Furthermore, in vivo bone formation at the bone–implant interface efficiency determined using a rabbit tibia implantation. Implants were divided into 3 experimental groups (UV+/ALN−, UV−/ALN+, UV+/ALN+) and the non-treated control (UV−/ALN−) group and transplanted into the proximal tibia of rabbits. At 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks post-operation, bone formation at the bone–implant interface was evaluated by micro-computed tomography and histological analysis. Results MG-63 cells cultured on UV+/ALN+ implants showed significantly higher cell proliferation, ALP activity, and calcium mineralization than those cultured on other implants (P < 0.05). Furthermore, SEM observation showed the highest increase in cell attachment and growth on the UV+/ALN+ implants. In vivo, experimental groups at all time points showed greater peri-implant bone formation than the control group. At 8 weeks post-implantation, in the UV+/ALN+ group, significantly higher bone formation was observed than the UV+/ALN− or UV−/ALN+ group, respectively (P < 0.05). Conclusions Treatment of titanium surfaces with UV and ALN may synergistically enhance osteoblastic differentiation and mineralization in vitro and enhance bone formation at the bone–implant interface in vivo. These data suggest that UV and ALN treatment may improve the osseointegration of titanium implants.