Biomimetic bone-like regeneration potentiality and strength development of Mg Zn Ca alloys for maxillofacial application.
Shalaby HA, Salah R, Shoeib MA, Koronfoly GA, Mostafa MH
Biomaterials
Biodegradable metal implants that dissolve harmlessly in the body after a bone heals could one day reduce surgical waste and eliminate removal procedures — the same design-with-nature philosophy driving compostable plant-based packaging you find at your farmers market.
Scientists tested two slightly different metal mixtures — both based on magnesium, a metal the body can safely absorb — to see which one behaves more like real bone as it slowly dissolves inside the jaw. The mix with less zinc broke down at a controlled pace and encouraged a natural bone mineral to grow on its surface, keeping the implant strong long enough to do its job. The higher-zinc version corroded too fast, became brittle, and produced an unstable mineral layer, making it unsuitable for anything beyond short-term use.
Key Findings
Mg1Zn0.6Ca (1% zinc) reduced its corrosion rate from 1.81 mm/year to just 0.26 mm/year over 8 weeks while reaching 65.5% hydroxyapatite crystallinity — mimicking mature bone mineral.
Mg6Zn0.6Ca (6% zinc) maintained a persistently high degradation rate (~2 mm/year), suffered premature embrittlement (flexural strength dropped to ~51 MPa vs ~89 MPa for the 1% zinc alloy), and showed declining mineral maturity.
The calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in the 1% zinc alloy rose from 0.29 to 0.68 over 8 weeks, indicating progressive bone-like mineralization, whereas the 6% zinc alloy's ratio fell from 1.42 to 0.35.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers compared two magnesium-zinc-calcium alloys as biodegradable bone implants for jaw and facial surgery, finding that the lower-zinc formula (1% Zn) degrades slowly and steadily while building a bone-like mineral coating, making it far more suitable for load-bearing implants than the higher-zinc version.
Abstract Preview
This study evaluated the potential for biomimetic new bone regeneration synchronized with developing strength when the Zn proportion was increased in Mg-Zn-Ca alloys (Mg1Zn0.6Ca and Mg6Zn0.6Ca allo...
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