abstract
Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) coatings combine a very low surface roughness with the outstanding diamond properties, such as superlative hardness, low self-friction coefficient, high wear and corrosion resistance, and biotolerance, which are ideal features for applications in medicine (knee and hip replacement) and surgical tools. The present work presents a comprehensive study of the cytotoxicity and biocompatibility of NCD films grown by hot-filament chemical vapour deposition (HFCVD) technique, aiming such future applications. Cytotoxicity was evaluated in vitro by seeding human gingival fibroblasts on the NCD surface for 14 days, while specific biocompatibility was assessed on samples seeded with human bone marrow-derived osteoblasts during 21 days. The NCD coatings proved to be noncytotoxic in the preliminary human gingival fibroblast cell cultures, as denoted by a notable sequence of cell attachment, spreading, and proliferation events. In the specific biocompatibility assay envisaging bone tissue applications, NCD coatings induced human osteoblast proliferation and the stimulation of differentiation markers, compared to standard polystyrene tissue culture plates.
keywords
BONE CELL-CULTURES; ENHANCED OSTEOBLAST ADHESION; CARBON COMPOSITE FILMS; SI3N4-BIOGLASS COMPOSITES; BETA-GLYCEROPHOSPHATE; NANOPHASE CERAMICS; SILICON-NITRIDE; MARROW-CELLS; IN-VITRO; DIFFERENTIATION
subject category
Science & Technology - Other Topics; Materials Science
authors
Amaral, M; Gomes, PS; Lopes, MA; Santos, JD; Silva, RF; Fernandes, MH
our authors
Rui Ramos Ferreira e Silva
Associate Professoracknowledgements
M. Amaral acknowledges FCT for the Grant SFRH/BPD/26787/2006. The work was carried out with financial support from FCT Project POCI/CTM/45423/2002. Cell culture studies were performed at FMDUP and supported by this institution. The authors would like to thank Paula Sampaio (IBMC) for assistance with CLSM and Emanuel CarvalhoMonteiro for gently preparing the samples for SEM observation.