Coronary stents made of zinc (Zn)-0.8 copper (Cu) (in wt%) alloy were developed as biodegradable metal stents (Zn-Cu stents) in this study. The mechanical properties of the Zn-Cu stents and the possible gain effects were characterized by in vitro and in vivo experiments compared with 316L stainless steel stents (316L stents). Young's modulus of the as-extruded Zn-0.8Cu alloy and properties of the stents, including their intrinsic elastic recoil, stent trackability were evaluated compared with 316L stents. In vivo study was also conducted to evaluate restoration of pulsatility of vessel segment implanted stents. Both Zn-Cu stents and 316L stents have good acute lumen gain. By comparison, the advantages of Zn-Cu stents are as follows: (I) Zn-Cu stents have less intrinsic elastic recoil than 316L stents; (II) stent trackability indicates that Zn-Cu stents have a smaller push force when passing through curved blood vessels, which may cause less mechanical stimulation to blood vessels; (III) in vivo study suggests that Zn-Cu stents implantation better facilitates the recovery of vascular pulsatility.
Keywords: Young’s modulus; intrinsic elastic recoil; restoration of pulsatility; zinc alloy stents.