title: Biocompatibility evaluation of surface-treated AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel in human cell cultures.
abstract: The effects of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel, tested in untreated state or subjected to glow-discharge nitriding (at 10 or 20 hPa) and nitriding + post-oxidizing treatments, on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were evaluated. All the treated samples showed a better corrosion resistance in PBS and higher surface hardness in comparison with the untreated alloy. In HUVEC put in contact for 72 h with the sample types, proliferation and apoptosis decreased and increased, respectively, in the presence of the nitrided + post-oxidized samples, while only slight differences in cytokine (TNF-alpha, IL-6, and TGF-beta1) release were registered. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) increased in HUVEC incubated with all the treated samples, while vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and E-selectin increased in the presence of all the sample types. PBMC incubated for 48 h with the samples showed a decrease in proliferation and an increase in apoptosis in the presence of the untreated samples and the nitrided + post-oxidized ones. All the sample types induced a remarkable increase in TNF-alpha and IL-6 release in PBMC culture medium, while only the untreated sample and the nitrided at 10 hPa induced an increase in ICAM-1 expression. In HUVEC cocultured with PBMC, previously put in contact with the treated AISI 316L samples, increased levels of ICAM-1 were detected. In HUVEC coincubated with the culture medium of PBMC, previously put in contact with the samples under study, a noteworthy increase in ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E-selectin levels was always registered, with the exception of VCAM-1, which was not affected by the untreated sample. In conclusion, even if the treated samples do not show a marked increase in biocompatibility in comparison with the untreated alloy, their higher corrosion resistance may suggest a better performance as the contact with physiological environment becomes longer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemical Sciences, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 50, Florence I-50134, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martinesi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bruni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stio
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Treves
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bacci
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Borgioli
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008422:Materials Testing; D009584:Nitrogen; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D013193:Stainless Steel; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014471:Umbilical Veins / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C426023:austenitic steel; D013193:Stainless Steel; D009584:Nitrogen