Abstract
The chemical composition of biomaterials can drive their biological responses; therefore, this in vitro study aimed to evaluate the proteomic profile of the salivary pellicle formed on titanium (Ti) alloys containing niobium (Nb) and zirconium (Zr). The experimental groups consisted of Ti35NbxZr (x = 5 and 10 wt%) alloys, and commercially pure titanium (cpTi); titanium aluminium vanadium (Ti6Al4V) alloys were used as controls. The physical and chemical characteristics of the Ti materials were analysed. The proteomic profile was evaluated by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Bacterial adhesion (2 h) of mixed species (Streptococcus sanguinis and Actinomyces naeslundii) was investigated as colony-forming units (n = 6). This paper reports the finding that salivary pellicle composition can be modulated by the composition of the Ti material. The Ti35NbxZr group showed a significant ability to adsorb proteins from saliva, which can favour interactions with cells and compatibility with the body.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful for the OMZ strains kindly donated by Prof. Bernhard Guggenheim to Prof. Jaime A. Cury and stored in the collection at the Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Physiological Science. They acknowledge the staff at the Mass Spectrometry Facility at the Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), CNPEM, Campinas, Brazil, for their support in mass spectrometry analysis, and the Oral Biochemistry laboratory at Piracicaba Dental School - UNICAMP for providing the microbiology facility.
Disclosure statement
The authors confirm that there are no conflicts of interest associated with this study.