Internal surface modification of additively manufactured macroporous TiAl6V4 biomimetic implants via a calciothermic reaction‐based process and osteogenic in vivo responses

Three‐dimensional macroporous titanium–aluminum–vanadium (TiAl6V4) implants produced by additive manufacturing (AM) can be grit blasted (GB) to yield microtextured exterior surfaces, with additional micro/nano‐scale surface features provided by subsequent acid etching (AE). However, the line‐of‐sight nature of GB causes the topography of exterior GB + AE‐modified surfaces to differ from internal GB‐inaccessible surfaces. Previous in vitro studies using dense TiAl6V4 substrates indicated that a nonline‐of‐sight, calciothermic‐reaction (CaR)‐based process provided homogeneous osteogenic nanotextures on GB + AE surfaces, suggesting it could be used to achieve a homogeneous nanotopography on external and internal surfaces of macroporous AM constructs. Macroporous TiAl6V4 (3D) constructs were produced by direct laser melting and modified by GB + AE, with the CaR process then applied to 50% of constructs (3DCaR). The CaR process yielded nanoporous/nanorough internal surfaces throughout the macroporous constructs. Skeletally mature, male Sprague–Dawley rats were implanted with these constructs using a cranial on‐lay model. Prior to implantation, a Cu++‐free click hydrogel was applied to half of the constructs (3D + H, 3DCaR + H) to act as a challenge to osseointegration. Osseointegration was compared between the four implant groups (3D, 3DCaR, 3D + H, 3DCaR + H) at 4w. 3D + H implants exhibited lower bone volume (BV) and percent bone ingrowth (%BI) than the 3D implants. In contrast, osseointegrated 3DCaR + H implants had similar BV and %BI as the 3DCaR implants. Implant pull‐off forces correlated with these results. In vitro analyses indicated that human bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) exhibited enhanced production of osteoblast differentiation markers and factors associated with osteogenesis when grown on CaR‐modified 3D substrates relative to control (TCPS) substrates. This work confirms that the CaR process provides osteogenic nanotextures on internal surfaces of macroporous 3D implants, and suggests that CaR‐modified surfaces can promote osseointegration in cases where osteogenesis is impaired.