Effects of serum proteins on corrosion rates and product bioabsorbability of biodegradable metals

Abstract

Corrodible metals are the newest kind of biodegradable materials and raise a new problem of the corrosion products. However, the removal of the precipitated products has been unclear and even largely ignored in publications. Herein, we find that albumin, an abundant macromolecule in serum enhances the solubility of corrosion products of iron in blood mimetic Hank’s solution significantly. This is universal for other main biodegradable metals such as magnesium, zinc and polyester-coated iron. Albumin also influences corrosion rates in diverse trends in Hank’s solution and normal saline. Based on quantitative study theoretically and experimentally, both the effects on corrosion rates and soluble fractions are interpreted by a unified mechanism, and the key factor leading to different corrosion behaviors in corrosion media is the interference of albumin to the Ca/P passivation layer on the metal surface. This work has illustrated that the interactions between metals and media macromolecules should be taken into consideration in the design of the next-generation metal-based biodegradable medical devices in the formulism of precision medicine. The improved Hank’s solution in presence of albumin and with a higher content of initial calcium salt is suggested to access biodegradable metals potentially for cardiovascular medical devices, where the content of calcium salt is calculated after consideration of chelating of calcium ions by albumin resulting in the physiological concentration of free calcium ions.

Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Cancer Cells on Micropillar Arrays

“…The importance of three-dimensional (3D) extracellular matrix for epithelial cells is recognized, where the combination of topography and chemical microenvironment promotes normal epithelial polarity and differentiation . The physical and chemical properties of material surfaces can regulate adhesion, migration, proliferation, and differentiation of cells. − Micropillar arrays provide a quasi-3D interface for cell-material interactions and have been demonstrated to be an appropriate platform to induce cell nuclear deformation. − …”

The therapeutic efficacy of different configuration nano-polydopamine drug carrier systems with photothermal synergy against head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

“…For example, in pharmaceutical research, it has been found that drugs with different chirality have different biological activities and toxic effects [ 20 ]; at the molecular level, the functions exercised by biomolecules are often related to their configurations [ 21 ]. The same phenomenon exists in nanomaterials, where nanomaterials synthesized from the same monomer can form different microconfigurations with different properties, and thus, be used in different fields [ 22–24 ]. There have been some studies on the differentiation or proliferation of cells on scaffolds with different morphological features [ 25 ].…”