Study of biofunctionalized titanium implants on an osteoporotic animal model

[eng] INTRODUCTION: Titanium-based medical devices for bone implantation are currently considered the standard treatment when favorable health, repair and healing conditions are observed. Dental implants, joint prostheses, fracture fixation systems and spinal fixation systems are considered part of this group of devices. Therefore, its use is essential to ensure the well-being of the population. However, the increase in life expectancy in Europe and the United States, verified annually, leads to an increase in diseases associated with the aging of the population. In this context, the correct integration of implants with bone tissue can be compromised, mainly due to the existence of certain pathologies such as cancer, osteoporosis, or diabetes, among others, which affect the natural ability of bone to regenerate, limiting the process of osseointegration of implants, necessary for the effectiveness of bone implant medical devices. In particular, osteoporosis presents as a disease that reduces bone mineral density, weakening bones, and is therefore associated with the risk of bone fractures, such as fractures of the pelvis, hip, ankle and around existing implants. These fractures also require maximum stability for repair. It is important, as mentioned above, that the fracture repair technique allows an effective recovery, which is often extremely difficult, either because of the characteristic morphology of the osteoporotic bone, which has a thin cortical layer and a medullary part with greater porosity, or because the bone has a slower regeneration time and therefore is more susceptible to fracture. For this reason, it is important to develop implants with active surfaces that allow specific stimulation of cell adhesion and differentiation to promote faster and better quality bone repair in scenarios where these processes are compromised. HYPOTHESIS: • New biofunctionalized implant coatings stimulate a favorable response in the osseointegration process, compared to non-biofunctionalized ones. OBJECTIVES: • To develop and perfect a surgical technique to place an implant in the rat's tibia, capable of being easily reproducible and with maximum effectiveness. • To test new functionalized titanium implant surfaces with molecules with osteoinductive properties in rats with osteoporosis, where the osseointegration capacity is affected.