title: Corrosion behavior, biocompatibility and biomechanical stability of a prototype magnesium-based biodegradable intramedullary nailing system.
abstract: Implants made of degradable magnesium alloys are a potential alternative to conventional orthopaedic implant materials, e.g. stainless steel or titanium. Intramedullary nails made of the magnesium alloy LAE442 were subjected to cyclic fatigue tests in both distilled water and Hank's Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS) at 37.5°C until implant failure or a limit of 500,000cycles was reached. In distilled water, four of the five nails were still intact after the end of the biomechanical test. In HBSS, a breakage within the first 70,000 bending cycles was observed. Additionally, the degradation rate of this alloy was determined in HBSS according to the weight loss method (0.24±0.12mmyear(-1)) and based on gas release (0.21±0.03mmyear(-1)) with a standard eudiometer. A cytotoxicity test with L929 cells was carried out in accordance with EN ISO 10993-5/12. This test demonstrated sufficient cell viability of the diluted extracts (50%, 25% and 12.5%). The relative metabolic activity of the 100% extract was reduced slightly below 70%, which is classified as a threshold value for cytotoxicity. In conclusion, this in vitro study indicates that intramedullary nails made of LAE442 may not have the required fatigue resistance for load-bearing applications and the development of a corrosion-protective coating may be necessary to prevent early failure of the implant.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Biomechanics and Biomaterials, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Anna-von-Borrie-Straße 1-7, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krämer
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Biomechanics and Biomaterials, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Anna-von-Borrie-Straße 1-7, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.affiliation: Institut für Werkstoffkunde (Materials Science), Leibniz Universität Hannover, An der Universität 2, 30823 Garbsen, Germany.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eifler
authors.affiliation: Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools (IFW), Leibniz Universität Hannover, Lise-Meitner-Straße 1, 30823 Garbsen, Germany.
authors.forename: Britta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hering
authors.affiliation: Small Animal Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 9, 30559 Hannover, Germany; CrossBIT, Center for Biocompatibility and Implant-Immunology, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Feodor-Lynen-Straße 31, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Janin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reifenrath
authors.affiliation: Institute of Continuum Mechanics, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Appelstraße 11, 30167 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Besdo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Biomechanics and Biomaterials, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Anna-von-Borrie-Straße 1-7, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Windhagen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Biomechanics and Biomaterials, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Anna-von-Borrie-Straße 1-7, 30625 Hannover, Germany; CrossBIT, Center for Biocompatibility and Implant-Immunology, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Feodor-Lynen-Straße 31, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Elmar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Willbold
authors.affiliation: CrossBIT, Center for Biocompatibility and Implant-Immunology, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Feodor-Lynen-Straße 31, 30625 Hannover, Germany. Electronic address: weizbauer.andreas@mh-hannover.de.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weizbauer
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000818:Animals; D001858:Bone Nails; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003343:Corrosion; D008274:Magnesium; D008422:Materials Testing; D051379:Mice
chemical_list: D008274:Magnesium
keywords: Cytotoxicity; Degradation; Fatigue resistance; Implant material; Magnesium