Titanium alkalinization improves response of osteoblasts to zoledronic acid

This investigation is aimed to determine the effect of the modification of titanium surface with NaOH on the metabolism of osteoblasts treated with zoledronic acid (ZA). Machined and NaOH-treated titanium disks were used. Surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, confocal microscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. Human osteoblasts were seeded onto the disks. After 24 h, cells were treated with ZA at 5 μM for 7 days. At this point, cell viability, collagen synthesis, total protein production, alkaline phosphatase activity, and mineral nodule deposition were assessed. The results of surface roughness were descriptively and statistically analyzed (t-Student), while the XPS results were qualitatively described. Cell metabolism data were analyzed by the analysis of variance two-way and Tukey tests at a 5% significance level. The results demonstrated that NaOH-treatment increased surface roughness (p