Improved biocompatibility of Zn-Ag-based stent materials by microstructure refinement.

The metallurgical engineering of bioresorbable zinc (Zn)-based medical alloys would greatly benefit from clarification of the relationships between material properties and biological responses. Here we investigate the biocompatibility of three Zn-based silver (Ag)-containing alloys, ranging from binary to quinary alloy systems. Selected binary and quinary Zn-Ag-based alloys underwent solution treatment (ST) to increase the solubility of Ag-rich phases within the Zn bulk matrix, yielding two different microstructures (one without ST and a different one with ST) with the same elemental composition.

In-vivo evaluation of molybdenum as bioabsorbable stent candidate.

Biodegradable stents have tremendous theoretical potential as an alternative to bare metal stents and drug-eluting stents for the treatment of obstructive coronary artery disease. Any bioresorbable or biodegradable scaffold material needs to possess optimal mechanical properties and uniform degradation behavior that avoids local and systemic toxicity. Recently, molybdenum (Mo) has been investigated as a potential novel biodegradable material for this purpose.

Analysis of vascular inflammation against bioresorbable Zn-Ag based alloys.

Zinc (Zn) has emerged as a promising bioresorbable stent material due to its satisfactory corrosion behavior and excellent biocompatibility. However, for load bearing implant applications, alloying is required to boost its mechanical properties as pure Zn exhibits poor strength. Unfortunately, an increase in inflammation relative to pure Zn is a commonly observed side-effect of Zn alloys.