Biocompatibility of Bespoke 3D-Printed Titanium Alloy Plates for Treating Acetabular Fractures

Treatment of acetabular fractures is challenging, not only because of its complicated anatomy but also because of the lack of fitting plates. Personalized titanium alloy plates can be fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) but the biocompatibility of these three-dimensional printing (3D-printed...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Xuezhi Lin, Xingling Xiao, Yimeng Wang, Cheng Gu, Canbin Wang, Jiahui Chen, Han Liu, Juan Luo, Tao Li, Di Wang, Shicai Fan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2018-01-01
Series:BioMed Research International
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/2053486
Description
Summary:Treatment of acetabular fractures is challenging, not only because of its complicated anatomy but also because of the lack of fitting plates. Personalized titanium alloy plates can be fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) but the biocompatibility of these three-dimensional printing (3D-printed) plates remains unknown. Plates were manufactured by SLM and their cytocompatibility was assessed by observing the metabolism of L929 fibroblasts incubated with culture medium extracts using a CCK-8 assay and their morphology by light microscopy. Allergenicity was tested using a guinea pig maximization test. In addition, acute systemic toxicity of the 3D-printed plates was determined by injecting extracts from the implants into the tail veins of mice. Finally, the histocompatibility of the plates was investigated by implanting them into the dorsal muscles of rabbits. The in vitro results suggested that cytocompatibility of the 3D-printed plates was similar to that of conventional plates. The in vivo data also demonstrated histocompatibility that was comparable between the two manufacturing techniques. In conclusion, both in vivo and in vitro experiments suggested favorable biocompatibility of 3D-printed titanium alloy plates, indicating that it is a promising option for treatment of acetabular fractures.
ISSN:2314-6133
2314-6141