Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the in vitro osteoinductivity of the combination of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAp) and the in vivo effects of implants coated with nHAp/BMP-2. Materials and Methods: To evaluate the in vitro efficacy of nHAp/BMP-2 on bone formation, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) were seeded onto titanium disks coated with collagen (Col), Col/nHAp, or Col/nHAp/BMP-2. Protein levels were determined by a biochemical assay and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Stem cell differentiation was analyzed by flow cytometry. For in vivo studies with mice, Col, Col/nHAp, and Col/nHAp/BMP-2 were injected in subcutaneous pockets. Titanium implants or implants coated with Col/nHAp/BMP-2 were placed bilaterally on rabbit tibias and evaluated for 4 weeks. Results: In the in vitro study, BM-MSCs on Col/nHAp/BMP-2 showed reduced levels of CD73, CD90, and CD105 and increased levels of glycos-aminoglycan, osteopontin, and alkaline phosphatase activity. After 4 weeks, the Col/nHAp/BMP-2 implant showed greater bone formation than the control (P=0.07), while no differences were observed in bone implant contact and removal torque. Conclusion: These results suggest that a combination of BMP-2 and an nHAp carrier would activate osseointegration on dental implant surfaces.