Although magnesium (Mg) is a unique biodegradable metal which possesses mechanical property similar to that of the natural bone and can be an attractive material to be used as orthopedic implants, its quick corrosion rate restricts its actual clinical applications. To control its rapid degradation, we have modified the surface of magnesium implant using fluoridated hydroxyapatite (FHA: Ca10(PO4)6OH2 − xFx) through the combined micro-arc oxidation (MAO) and electrophoretic deposition (EPD) techniques, which was NOT THE PUBLISHED VERSION; this is the author's final, peer-reviewed manuscript. The published version may be accessed by following the link in the citation at the bottom of the page. 2015): pg. 21-27. DOI. This article is © Elsevier and permission has been granted for this version to appear in e-Publications@Marquette. Elsevier does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Elsevier.
Materials Science and Engineering: C, Vol 48 (March3 presented in our previous paper. In this article, the biocompatibility examinations were conducted on the coated AZ91 magnesium alloy by implanting it into the greater trochanter area of rabbits. The results of the in vivo animal test revealed a significant enhancement in the biocompatibility of FHA/MAO coated implant compared to the uncoated one. By applying the FHA/MAO coating on the AZ91 implant, the amount of weight loss and magnesium ion release in blood plasma decreased. According to the histological results, the formation of the new bone increased and the inflammation decreased around the implant. In addition, the implantation of the uncoated AZ91 alloy accompanied by the release of hydrogen gas around the implant; this release was suppressed by applying the coated implant. Our study exemplifies that the surface coating of magnesium implant using a bioactive ceramic such as fluoridated hydroxyapatite may improve the biocompatibility of the implant to make it suitable as a commercialized biomedical product.