In the present work, porous titanium with a porosity of 70% was prepared using the space-holder sintering process. Then the porous titanium was treated by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) in the aqueous electrolyte. The results showed that TiO layers were formed on titanium at applied voltages (90-100 V) and in short time (1-3 min). The morphology of the TiO layer was investigated and the apatite-inducing ability was evaluated in a modified simulated body fluid (2 SBF). It revealed that the increases of MAO time and applied voltage contributed to the formation of bioactive apatite on the surface of film on the porous titanium scaffold. The TiO layer possesses high apatite-forming ability. Therefore, the TiO layer prepared by MAO can be used to modify the surface of the porous titanium implants. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.