Previously, we showed that exposure of human osteoblasts to titanium particles stimulates protein tyrosine phosphorylation (PTP), activates the transcription factor nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB), and causes an approximately 50% decrease in the steady-state messenger RNA (mRNA) level of procollagen alpha1[I]. In this study, we identify three NF-kappaB binding sites within the human procollagen alpha1[I] gene promoter, show that titanium particles stimulate their binding of the NF-kappaB subunits Rel A (p65) and NF-kappaB1 (p50), and find NF-kappaB activation correlates with collagen gene suppression by titanium particles in osteoblasts. Protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitors, which significantly reduce the suppressive effect of titanium particles on collagen gene expression, inhibited NF-kappaB binding activity showing that titanium particle stimulation of PTK signals in osteoblasts are critical for both NF-kappaB activation and collagen gene expression. The antioxidant pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), which also inhibits the titanium particle suppression of collagen, abrogated the titanium particle activation of NF-kappaB, suggesting the involvement of redox signals in NF-kappaB-mediated collagen gene expression. The RNA polymerase II inhibitor actinomycin D (Act D) decreased procollagen alpha1[I] mRNA expression and effectively blocked the titanium-induced suppressive effect, suggesting that titanium particles activate a cascade of signals in osteoblasts, which result in a suppression of procollagen alpha1[I] mRNA. Collectively, these results show that titanium particles can activate NF-kappaB signaling in osteoblasts and suggest that NF-kappaB binding to the collagen gene promoter has a functional role in the down-regulation of procollagen alpha1[I] gene transcription.