Simple application of fibronectin–mimetic coating enhances osseointegration of titanium implants

Abstract

Integrin‐mediated cell adhesion to biomolecules adsorbed onto biomedical devices regulates device integration and performance. Because of the central role of integrin‐fibronectin (FN) interactions in osteoblastic function and bone formation, we evaluated the ability of FN‐inspired biomolecular coatings to promote osteoblastic differentiation and implant osseointegration. Notably, these biomolecular coatings relied on physical adsorption of FN‐based ligands onto biomedical‐grade titanium as a simple, clinically translatable strategy to functionalize medical implants. Surfaces coated with a recombinant fragment of FN spanning the central cell binding domain enhanced osteoblastic differentiation and mineralization in bone marrow stromal cell cultures and increased implant osseointegration in a rat cortical bone model compared to passively adsorbed arginine–glycine–aspartic acid peptides, serum proteins and full‐length FN. Differences in biological responses correlated with integrin binding specificity and signalling among surface coatings. This work validates a simple, clinically translatable, surface biofunctionalization strategy to enhance biomedical device integration.