title: Phosphorylated Pullulan Coating Enhances Titanium Implant Osseointegration in a Pig Model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of coating a titanium implant surface with a phosphorylated exopolysaccharide, pullulan, on the peri-implant bone formation and implant osseointegration.
  
  
  METHODS
  Implants were placed in the skull bone of 12 domestic pigs and healed for 1 or 3 months. Osseointegration of (un)coated implants was evaluated by quantitative histology (peri-implant bone fraction [BF] and bone-to-implant-contact [BIC]). The Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test with α = .05 was used to statistically compare BF and BIC of the coated and uncoated implants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significantly more BF was observed surrounding pullulan-coated implants compared with uncoated implants (P < .05) and for both healing periods (P < .05). BIC was positively affected by the exopolysaccharide coating, with significantly more BIC after the 3-month healing period compared with the uncoated implant (P < .05). Furthermore, BIC remained stable over time for the coated implants, while it significantly decreased for the uncoated ones (P < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings reveal the capacity of functionalizing the titanium implant surface with phosphorylated pullulan to improve the mineralization of the implant-bone interface.
authors.forename: Marcio Vivan
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Amol
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chaudhari
authors.forename: Kumiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshihara
authors.forename: Marcelo Ferraz
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Mesquita
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Van Meerbeek
authors.forename: Katleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vandamme
authors.forename: Joke
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Duyck
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000069343:Bone-Implant Interface / Q000502:physiology; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015921:Dental Implants; D003764:Dental Materials / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005936:Glucans / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020007:Implants, Experimental; D016348:Osseointegration / Q000187:drug effects*; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D012886:Skull / Q000601:surgery; D013499:Surface Properties; D034421:Sus scrofa; D013552:Swine; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D015921:Dental Implants; D003764:Dental Materials; D005936:Glucans; C009109:pullulan; D014025:Titanium