Coating of titanium alloy with soluble laminin‐5 promotes cell attachment and hemidesmosome assembly in gingival epithelial cells: potential application to dental implants

The formation of a biological seal around the transmucosal portion of dental implants may be crucial for the long‐term success of these therapies. Data to date suggest that the gingival epithelium attaches to dental implants through the formation of hemidesmosomes. Biochemical and genetic data indicate that the laminin isoform, laminin‐5, a component of basement membranes, plays a crucial role in the assembly and maintenance of hemidesmosomes. We report the use of soluble laminin‐5 as a biological coating of titanium‐alloy to promote cell attachment of the gingival epithelial cell line, IHGK. Monoclonal antibodies reactive with laminin‐5 depleted the coating solution of all cell attachment activity and blocked cell attachment to laminin‐5‐coated disks. Immunodepletion with antibodies to fibronectin had no effect. Finally, we demonstrate that IHGK cells assembled hemidesmosomes within 24 h of attachment to laminin‐5‐coated titanium alloy but not to the titanium alloy alone. These results suggest that soluble laminin‐5 may have clinical applications as a dental implant coating to promote the formation of a biological seal.