Fig. 4.

Viability and morphology of MC3T3-E1 cells seeded on different Ti surfaces coated with various materials. (A, B) Relative quantification of proliferation, (C) differentiation, and (D) morphology of MC3T3-E1 cells cultured on NC, on untreated pure Ti (P-Ti), the N-Ti, and GN-Ti. Cellular proliferation and differentiation were performed by MTT and ALP activity assays, respectively. Cells were cultured for 1-3 days for the MTT assay and for 7 days for ALP activity assay. Cell morphology was visualized by crystal violet staining after culturing for 3 days (mean ± SE, n = 5; ∗P < 0.05, ∗∗P < 0.01, and ∗∗∗P < 0.001; day 1 vs. day 3 in each treatment group). The size bar, 100 μm.

MTT, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide; ALP, alkaline phosphatase; GN-Ti, Korea Red Ginseng extract–loaded titanium nanotube; N-Ti, titanium nanotube.