Magnesium Implants Show Promise for Hand and Foot Bone Surgery
- Authors
- Iulian Antoniac, Răzvan Adam, Ana Biță, Marian Miculescu, Octavian Trante, Ionuț Mircea Petrescu, Mark Pogărășteanu
- Journal
- Materials
- Year
- 2020
- DOI
- 10.3390/ma14010084
- Study Type
- Rabbit
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Romania
- Health Condition
- Bone Fractures
- Body System
- Musculoskeletal
TL;DR
Magnesium implants, specifically the Mg-1Ca alloy, show promise for safe use in small bone surgeries without toxic effects.
Key Finding
A magnesium alloy (Mg-1Ca) that appeared toxic in laboratory tests proved to be safe and biocompatible when implanted in rabbit bone and muscle tissue, contradicting earlier in vitro toxicity concerns.
Summary
This study tested a magnesium alloy (Mg-1Ca) designed to be used as an implant material that the body can gradually absorb. Researchers compared laboratory tests with actual implants placed in rabbit bone and muscle tissue. While lab tests suggested the material might be toxic, the animal implants showed the material was safe and broke down properly in the body, making it a promising option for small bone surgeries in hands and feet.
Practical Takeaway
This study examined magnesium alloy implants, not hydrogen water. The research is limited to animal studies in rabbits and does not directly inform hydrogen water safety or efficacy. If you are interested in hydrogen water research, this study is not relevant to that topic.
Abstract
Use of magnesium implants is a new trend in orthopedic research because it has several important properties that recommend it as an excellent resorbable biomaterial for implants. In this study, the corrosion rate and behavior of magnesium alloys during the biodegradation process were determined by in vitro assays, evolution of hydrogen release, and weight loss, and further by in vivo assays (implantation in rabbits' bone and muscle tissue). In these tests, we also used imaging assessments and histological examination of different tissue types near explants. In our study, we analyzed the Mg-1Ca alloy and all the hypotheses regarding the toxic effects found in in vitro studies from the literature and those from this in vitro study were rejected by the data obtained by the in vivo study. Thus, the Mg-1Ca alloy represents a promising solution for orthopedic surgery at the present time, being able to find applicability in the small bones: hand or foot.