Review of In Vivo Investigations on Metal Implants for Bone Tissue Engineering

Purpose

Bone defects are serious complications that are most commonly caused by infection, tumors, and trauma. Recently, tissue engineering has been experimenting with some alternatives to existing conventional scaffold materials, with metal as an important example. As a part of developing clinically relevant in vivo testing models to evaluate metal biomaterials to be used for bone defect repair, it is essential to establish clinically relevant in vivo testing models to determine their degradation, interaction, and biocompatibility with host tissue.

Methods

Providing a comprehensive review of the capabilities of titanium (Ti) and magnesium (Mg) as suitable bone replacement biomaterials, this study conducted a systematic search in order to develop a new method of bone regeneration based on the analysis of in vivo findings.

Results

For this study, 67 references were analyzed, which included studies that examined the biological activity and corrosion resistance of titanium (Ti) and magnesium (Mg) alloys. In some studies, functional coatings with bioactive materials were shown to facilitate bone formation when compared to implants that were not coated. Additionally, other studies indicate that alloys can be modified or synthesized with other composite materials to produce biodegradable, bioactive, and biocompatible scaffolds with excellent mechanical properties.

Conclusion

Based on the findings of this review, titanium (Ti) and magnesium (Mg) alloys exhibit excellent biocompatibility, osteocompatibility, and corrosion resistance, making them potentially suitable for use in bone tissue engineering.

Future Works

It is possible that other types of metals and improved scaffold compositions may be used in future studies to improve osseointegration with natural bone, to provide a potential load-bearing implant, and to control degradation more effectively.

Lay Summary

Animal models were used in this review investigation to evaluate metal implants used for bone tissue engineering, considering interactions with biological tissue, osteoconductivity, and degradation abilities. As a result of the many studies discussed in this review, several methods have been explored for improving the properties of titanium (Ti) and magnesium (Mg) alloys. The coating of alloy surfaces with bioactive materials (such as calcium and phosphorus) may enhance their biological properties effectively. Additionally, titanium (Ti) and magnesium (Mg) alloys have the potential to be utilized as biodegradable, bioactive, and biocompatible scaffolds thereby making them potentially useful in bone tissue engineering applications.