Favorable Modulation Of Pre-osteoblast Response To Nanograined/ultrafine-grained Structures In Austenitic Stainless Steel

摘要

Austenitic stainless steels and titanium alloys are the two widely used metallic materials for biomedical applications, including devices for bone fixation, partial/total joint replacement and spring clips for the repair of aneurysmal defects. These materials are corrosion resistant and have the necessary mechanical strength and biocompatibility. A potentially transformative approach to favorably modulate and improve the cellular response of biomaterials is to utilize nanograined (NG)/ultrafine-grained (UFG) materials in lieu of conventional coarse-grained materials. Ultrafine structures may provide benefits of enhanced cellular attachment, stimulate metabolic activity, and up-regulate protein formation. These properties provide the motivation to study bulk nanostructured metals with the aim to enhance metabolic compatibility and cellular response, in addition to the use of thinner bioimplants and high strength/weight ratio, especially for bone growth. The focus here is to combine fundamental aspects of materials science, engineering, and cellular and molecular biology to favorably modulate cell-substrate response between pre-osteoblasts and NG/UFG austenitic stainless steels.