Technical Feasibility of an Ex Vivo Bovine Trabecular Bone-Titanium Implant Co-Culture Platform for Early Interface Studies

Ex vivo bone organ cultures may bridge the gap between simplified in vitro systems and animal studies. This proof-of-concept study evaluated the technical feasibility of a bovine trabecular bone–implant co-culture platform over 21 days. Thirty-two bone cylinders from three donors were cultured with porous Ti6Al4V implants. A central 6 mm channel reduced the maximum theoretical radial diffusion distance to approximately 2.5 mm. Wurtzite and diamond architectures were coupled to experimental run and femoral laterality, precluding independent evaluation of architecture-dependent biological effects. Constructs received no load, sustained static load, or static load combined with daily or weekly dynamic compression at 1 Hz for 300 cycles per session. Loaded assemblies comprised four constructs beneath a shared plate; individual forces, stresses, and strains were neither measured nor independently controlled. Metabolic activity, viability, histology, bone volume fraction, immunofluorescence, and implant colonization were assessed. Structural comparisons were cross-sectional. Metabolic activity initially decreased before increasing from day 7 onward, and viable cells and extensive implant colonization were observed after 21 days. No loading-dependent biological or structural differences were detected. The findings support technical feasibility but do not establish mechanobiological sensitivity. Further validation requires specimen-specific mechanical monitoring, re-optimization of loading parameters, and quantitative biological endpoints.