Detection Of Osteointegration Using A Novel Electric-Substrate Sensing Chip

Objectives: Integrin is a membrane protein, which is responsible for integrating with osteogenetic cells and dental implants. How to induce osteogenetic cells to express more Integrin is an issue for promoting osseointegration. In this study, we develop a novel device, based on electric-substrate sensing theory, to monitor cells behavior and Integrin expression. Methods: In this study, an ITO-based bio-chips was developed using semiconductor technique. The impedance changes of the MG-63 cells at various cultured density were detected automatically. Besides, we also measured the differences in electric resistance when the cells were immunostained with anti-Integrin â1 antibody coagulated with nano-scale gold particles. Results: The cultures demonstrated a higher electric resistance when the cell number increases. It significantly raised from 0 to 246 Ohm (p < 0.05) in the seven-days experimental periods. In addition, we found that cells express more Integrin â1, which should link more gold particles on cellular membrane, result in turning down the measured cell-impedance. Conclusions: The results obtained in this study provide a new means for membrane-proteins researches. It can be a useful tool for evaluating cell behaviors and Integrin expression on artificial implants.