Sandra Fuest (Hamburg, DE), Nils Wegner (Dortmund, DE), Dr. Levi Matthies (Hamburg, DE), Ming Yan (Hamburg, DE), Prof. Dr. Dr. Martin Gosau (Hamburg, DE), Prof. Dr. Frank Walther (Dortmund, DE), Prof. Dr. Dr. Ralf Smeets (Hamburg, DE)
Abstract text (incl. figure legends and references)
Objective:
Magnesium-based biomaterials are promising for multiple applications in implant dentistry (including resorbable meshes, pins; screws to fix a bone block). However, the rate of degradation of magnesium needs to be reduced, depending on the indication area, to control toxicity caused by rapid natural corrosion, as well as hydrogen gas evolution and loss of stability. In the development of new magnesium alloys and surface modifications, efficient evaluation of relevant properties is essential.
Material & Methodology:
In the present study, a WE43 magnesium alloy with a surface generated by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) was investigated. The surface microstructure, hydrogen gas release in immersion tests and cytocompatibility were analyzed. In addition, an in vitro immunological assay was performed using primary human lymphocytes.
Results:
Hydrogen gas evolution after two weeks of immersion was reduced by 40.7% by the PEO surface, indicating a significantly reduced corrosion rate. In contrast to untreated WE43, PEO-treated WE43 showed good cytocompatibility.After three days of incubation, the former killed more than 90% of lymphocytes, while more than 80% of cells were still vital after incubation with the PEO-treated test specimens. WE43-PEO mildly stimulated the activation, proliferation, and toxin expression of CD8+ T cells.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates that the combined assessment of corrosion, cytocompatibility, and immunological effects on primary human lymphocytes is a suitable method for characterizing magnesium variants. PEO-treated WE43 is a promising candidate for further development as a degradable metallic biomaterial for implant/ augmentation indications.