OBJECTIVETo investigate the biocompatibility of a novel cavernous nickel-titanium alloy with rat bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) in vitro.

METHODSRat BMSCs were cultured on the surface of compact, microporous and macroporous nickel-titanium alloys, and the cell proliferation on day 3 during the culture was assessed using MTT assay. On day 7 of the cell culture, the cells were labeled with Hoechst33342 for cell counting under a fluorescence microscope. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed on day 7 of cell culture to observe the morphological changes of the cells.

RESULTSThe cell proliferation rate and cell numbers differed significantly between the cavernous alloy groups and the compact alloy group (P<0.05), but similar between the former two groups (P>0.05). SEM showed that compared with the compact alloy, microporous and macroporous nickel-titanium alloys had better biocompatibility with the BMSCs, and the cells on the surface of the cavernous alloys had normal cell morphology.

CONCLUSIONCavernous nickel-titanium alloy has good biocompatibility and can promote the adhesion, aggregation and proliferation of rat BMSCs in vitro.