Evaluation of the Degradation Rates and Biocompatibility of Magnesium Pins with Different Compositions, and Processing Techniques for Oral Staplers In Vivo and In Vitro

Abstract

Oral sutures are common and in high demand for oral treatments, and invariably increase physicians' workload. Herein, we examined the degradation of magnesium alloy pins with different elemental compositions and processing technologies both in vivo and in vitro, and analyzed their cytocompatibilities to verify the feasibility of their use as oral tissue suture materials. The results showed that Mg–Zn–Ca–4Ag, which completely degraded in less than a week in vitro, exhibited large areas of corrosion, local fractures within two weeks, and degraded almost completely within a period of four weeks in vivo. The other magnesium alloy pins studied herein showed no distinct degradation even after two months, with small amounts of pitting corrosions found on the surface. The cytocompatibility test revealed that Mg–Zn–Ca–4Ag showed good biocompatibility and promoted cell growth when the Mg concentration was 50 g/mL. Therefore, Mg–Zn–Ca–4Ag can be biocompatible, while degrading within a month. Therefore, by further optimizing the processing technology and composition, magnesium alloys are expected to emerge as new materials for oral sutures. Moreover, staplers are expected to emerge as a new method for oral, soft-tissue suturing.