Study on the biodegradability and biocompatibility of WE magnesium alloys

Magnesium alloys have been widely applied in biomedical devices because of their high strength, toughness, processing performance and the trace release of Mg2+. In this study, we investigated the biodegradability, cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility of four kinds of WE Mg alloys (where “W” indicates the metallic element Y and “E” represents mixed rare earth [RE] elements; Y: 2.5, 5.0, 6.5, and 7.5wt.%; Nd: 1.0, 2.5, 2.6, and 4.2wt.%; Zr: 0.8wt.%) for their application in intravascular stent fabrication. The content of alloying elements affected not only mechanical properties of materials, but also their biocompatibility. We found that addition of RE elements could reduce the corrosion rates. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were cultured in different extracts of WE Mg alloys. MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay was used to examine the cytotoxicity. The nitric oxide (NO) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release were used to evaluate effects of Mg alloys on HUVECs. The addition of Y, Nd and Zr increased the cell viability and improved the hemocompatibility. Different alloy elements affected the morphology of samples, Mg2+ release, and pH values in the medium. The results of mechanical properties, biocompatibility and biodegradability showed that Mg–5.0Y–2.6Nd–0.8Zr might be used as alternative materials of stent. However, it still needs to be further modified for clinical use. These findings suggest that selecting suitable alloying elements is particularly important.