Zirconium and Niobium Affect Human Osteoblasts, Fibroblasts, and Lymphocytes in a Similar Manner to More Traditional Implant Alloy Metals

Abstract

Implant debris remains the major factor limiting the longevity of total joint replacements. Whether soluble implant debris of Zr and Nb containing implant alloys constitute a greater risk than other implant metals remains unknown. We evaluated the relative effects of soluble forms of Zr+4 and Nb+5 (0.001–10.0 mM) relative to Cr+3, Mo+5, Al+3, Co+2, Ni+2, Fe+3, Cu+2, Mn+2, Mg+2, Na+2, and V+3 chloride solutions on human peri-implant cells (i.e., osteoblast-like MG-63 cells, fibroblasts, and lymphocytes). Metals were ranked using a 50% decrease in proliferation and viability to determine toxic concentrations. Lymphocytes, fibroblasts, and osteoblasts were, generally, similarly affected by metals where the most toxic metals, Co, Ni, Nb, and V required <1.0 mM to induce toxicity. Less toxic metals Al, Cr, Fe, Mo, and Zr generally required >1.0 mM challenge to produce toxicity. Overall, Co and V were the most toxic metals tested, thus Zr and Nb containing implant alloys would not likely be more toxic than traditional implant alloys. Below concentrations of 0.1 mM, neither Zr nor Nb reduced osteoblast, lymphocyte, or fibroblast proliferation. Zr was generally an order of magnitude less toxic than Nb to lymphocytes, fibroblasts, and osteoblasts. Our results indicated that soluble Zr and Nb resulting from implant degradation likely act in a metal- and concentration-specific manner capable of producing adverse local and remote tissue responses to the same degree as metals from traditional implant alloys, e.g., Ti-6Al-4V (ASTM F 138) and Co-Cr-Mo alloys (ASTM F 75).

Microstructure, mechanical property, corrosion behavior, and in vitro biocompatibility of Zr–Mo alloys

“…Early studies demonstrated that below 0.01 mM, neither Zr nor Mo was toxic to osteoblasts and fibroblasts. 5,55 In addition, the biocompatibility of Zr-Mo alloys was primarily evaluated by culturing L-929 cells and MG 63 cells in their extraction media and positive results were obtained, indicating an excellent in vitro biocompatibility.…”

“…[1][2][3] Zirconium has been recognized to be nontoxic and nonallergic. 4,5 In vivo evidences showed that zirconium implants exhibited good osseointegration and even a higher degree of bone-implant contact than titanium implants. 6,7 By bioactive surface modifications such as NaOH treatment 8 and sol-gel method, 9 a bone-like apatite layer could form on the surface of Zr metal, through which the implant bonds to bone.…”

Short‐term microvascular response of striated muscle to cp‐Ti, Ti‐6Al‐4V, and Ti‐6Al‐7Nb

“…In the in vitro setting, Rogers and colleagues 10 were able to show that Ti-6Al-4V activates monocytes and induces the release of the inflammatory mediator prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) to a greater extent than does Ti-6Al-7Nb. This discrepancy may result from the fact that niobium is less toxic to cells than vanadium, as has been recently verified by Hallab and colleagues 11 using cell proliferation and viability tests. Recently, Wooley and coworkers 12 demonstrated that Ti6Al-4V particles implanted into the murine air pouch-model caused a reactive membrane inflammation, probably mediated by interleukin-6.…”

Microstructure-based modeling of the impact response of a biomedical niobium–zirconium alloy

“…[7][8][9] Both constituents of these alloys have been separately proven to be biocompatible, and they have received considerable attention from researchers working in the biomaterials field due to the superior corrosion resistance they exhibit. [7][8][9] Recent works on this material have demonstrated that an excellent combination of mechanical properties, high strength, and good fatigue resistance can be obtained in NbZr alloys upon introduction of an ultrafine-grained (UFG) microstructure.…”

“…[7][8][9] Both constituents of these alloys have been separately proven to be biocompatible, and they have received considerable attention from researchers working in the biomaterials field due to the superior corrosion resistance they exhibit. [7][8][9] Recent works on this material have demonstrated that an excellent combination of mechanical properties, high strength, and good fatigue resistance can be obtained in NbZr alloys upon introduction of an ultrafine-grained (UFG) microstructure. [10][11][12][13] For implant materials, in addition to resistance against corrosion induced by the chemically aggressive human body environment, mechanical performance related parameters, such as high strength, improved fatigue resistance, and fracture toughness, are also important, especially considering loading conditions that can sometimes become intense.…”