Cellular response to titanium discs coated with polyelectrolyte multilayer films

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) coatings on the biological behavior of titanium (Ti) substrates. Collagen type Ι/hyaluronic acid (Col/HA) and chitosan/hyaluronic acid (Chi/HA) multilayer PEM coatings were introduced onto Ti substrates using layer-by-layer assembly. Contact angle instruments and quartz crystal microbalance were used for film characterization. The results obtained showed that both Col/HA and Chi/HA surfaces had high hydrophilicity and promoted cell adhesion in MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblast and human gingival fibroblast cells. In addition, the synthesis of function-related proteins and gene expression levels in both MC3T3-E1 and fibroblast cells was higher for the Col/HA coating compared with the Chi/HA coating, indicating better cellular response to the Col/HA coating.