Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

The Prospects Of Zinc As A Structural Material For Biodegradable Implants—A Review Paper, Galit Katarivas Levy, Jeremy Goldman, Eli Aghion

Michigan Tech Publications

In the last decade, iron and magnesium, both pure and alloyed, have been extensively studied as potential biodegradable metals for medical applications. However, broad experience with these material systems has uncovered critical limitations in terms of their suitability for clinical applications. Recently, zinc and zinc-based alloys have been proposed as new additions to the list of degradable metals and as promising alternatives to magnesium and iron. The main byproduct of zinc metal corrosion, Zn²⁺, is highly regulated within physiological systems and plays a critical role in numerous fundamental cellular processes. Zn²⁺ released from an implant may suppress …