New insight into the mechanism of hip prosthesis loosening: Effect of titanium debris size on osteoblast function

The incidence of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis is on the rise due to our expanding elderly population. Total joint arthroplasty is the most successful, prevalent treatment modality for these and other degenerative hip conditions. Despite the wide array of prosthetic devices commercially available, hip prostheses share a common problem with a gradual and then accelerating loss of bone tissue and bone–implant interface integrity, followed by implant instability and loosening. Implant failure is largely the result of inevitable wear of the device and generation of wear debris. To provide information for the development of improved prosthetic wear characteristics, we examined the effects of size‐separated titanium particles on bone forming cell populations. We demonstrate unequivocally that particle size is a critical factor in the function, proliferation, and viability of bone‐forming osteoblasts in vitro. In addition, we have elucidated the time‐dependent distribution of the phagocytosed particles within the osteoblast, indicating an accumulation of particles in the perinuclear area of the affected cells. The report finds that particle size is a critical factor in changes in the bone formation‐related functions of osteoblasts exposed to simulate wear debris, and that 1.5–4 μm titanium particles have the greatest effect on osteoblast proliferation and viability in vitro. The size of titanium particles generated through wear of a prosthetic device may be an important consideration in the development of superior implant technology.