Effects of alloying elements on the cytotoxic response of titanium alloys

Titanium alloys, especially β-type alloys containing β-stabilizing elements, constitute a highly versatile category of metallic materials that have been under constant development for application in orthopedics and dentistry. This type of alloy generally presents a high mechanical strength-to-weight ratio, excellent corrosion resistance and low elastic modulus. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the cytotoxicity and adhesion of fibroblast cells on titanium alloy substrates containing Nb, Ta, Zr, Cu, Sn and Mo alloying elements. Cells cultured on polystyrene were used as controls. In vitro results with Vero cells demonstrated that the tested materials, except Cu-based alloy, presented high viability in short-term testing. Adhesion of cells cultured on disks showed no differences between the materials and reference except for the Ti–Cu alloy, which showed reduced adhesion attributed to poor metabolic activity. Titanium alloys with the addition of Nb, Ta, Zr, Sn and Mo elements show a promising potential for biomedical applications.