Materials, Methods & Technologies, Volume 19, 2025

Abstract: Materials commonly used in orthopedic, dental and spine surgeries—including Ti-6Al-4V alloy, stainless steel AISI 316 LWM, polyether ether ketone (PEEK) Optima, and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)—were subjected to surface modifications such as sandblasting, polishing, and coating with amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H), alone or in combination. Surface roughness, assessed by the Ra parameter, was primarily at the submicron scale for unmodified or sandblasted materials and at the nanoscale for polished samples. Wettability and the polar component of surface energy were generally higher on metallic samples and standard polystyrene culture dishes than on polymeric materials, with the exception of polished stainless steel. When seeded with human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells, the highest cell densities were observed on sandblasted Ti-6Al-4V coated with a-C:H (day 1), polished stainless steel (day 3), and polished PEEK (day 8). These cells also displayed elevated levels of adhesion and osteogenic differentiation markers, including β1-integrins (on sandblasted Ti-6Al-4V with a-C:H), αv-integrins, vinculin, and osteocalcin (on polished stainless steel), and talin and osteopontin (on polished PEEK). Furthermore, the cells on all tested materials exhibited comparable or lower levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), an immune activation marker, compared to those grown on standard polystyrene dishes. These findings suggest that sandblasted Ti-6Al-4V coated with a-C:H, polished stainless steel, and polished PEEK are promising materials for bone implant construction and osseointegration.