Laser surface texturing of bulk metallic glass promotes protein adsorption and tissue-regenerative macrophage phenotypes

Green, T.D., Bigot, S., Brousseau, E., Bhaduri, D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8270-388X and Nishio, W. 2026. Laser surface texturing of bulk metallic glass promotes protein adsorption and tissue-regenerative macrophage phenotypes. Presented at: 35th Annual Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials, Antwerp, Belgium, 7-11 September 2026.

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Abstract

Introduction. Revision surgery of orthopaedic implants due to aseptic loosening affects 20,000 patients yearly across the EU, costing public healthcare services €600 million annually. Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) offer a promising solution, exhibiting advantageous physical properties (high wear and corrosion resistance, high elasticity) compared to traditional implant alloys. BMG laser surface texturing (LST) promotes osseointegration, although immunomodulation of LST remains to be elucidated. This research investigates whether LST can modulate the host response to orthopaedic implants, with the goal of enhancing long-term integration. Material and Methods. AMLOY-ZR02, a BMG with nominal composition: Zr65Cu16Ni12Al4Ti3, underwent groove-micropatterning via nanosecond LST. Adsorption of immunomodulatory proteins (complement C3b, immunoglobulin G (IgG), fibronectin) from human serum were quantified using BCA assay and ELISAs. A CCK-8 assay assessed AMLOY-ZR02 biocompatibility to THP-1 macrophages. Subsequently, mean cell area and aspect ratio of macrophages were quantified using ImageJ, and ELISAs assessed THP-1 secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-10 and TGF-β1. Results. Augmentations in laser fluence significantly influenced total protein adsorption to BMGs following 24-hour incubation in human serum (P<0.001). LST did not affect fibronectin or C3b adsorption, however IgG adsorption significantly increased with fluence at all incubation periods (10 mins, 2 hours, 24 hours) (P<0.05); these protein adsorption differences reflect fluence-dependent changes in surface topography and wettability. Although initial macrophage attachment was reduced relative to tissue culture polystyrene (P<0.05), all groups maintained consistent cellular proliferation across 72-hours, indicating no LST elicited cytotoxicity. No difference in cell area was observed between surfaces, although macrophage aspect ratio increased following micropatterning (P<0.01), consistent with cellular alignment with grooves. No difference in IL-10 was measured between sample supernatants, however macrophage TGF-β1 secretion increased significantly upon micropatterned surfaces (P<0.001). Conclusion. Laser fluence augmentations during LST promoted immunoregulatory protein adsorption and macrophage elongation via modifications in surface wettability and topography. An increased secretion of M2-phenotypic cytokines was associated with topography-mediated macrophage elongation, consistent with the literature, and highlighting the potential of LST to promote peri-implant tissue remodelling. Further phenotypic characterisation will be conducted via secretome analysis. Future work will establish the molecular pathways involved in topography-mediated polarisation via RNA sequencing.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item - unpublished
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Engineering
Last Modified:	20 Oct 2026 14:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/190341

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