In vitro and in vivo studies to evaluate the feasibility of Zn-0.1Li and Zn-0.8Mg application in the uterine cavity microenvironment compared to pure zinc

Guo Bao; Qianqian Fan; Dongfeng Ge; Kun Wang; Mingming Sun; Zechuan Zhang; Hui Guo; Hongtao Yang; Bin He; Yufeng Zheng

doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2020.12.048

In vitro and in vivo studies to evaluate the feasibility of Zn-0.1Li and Zn-0.8Mg application in the uterine cavity microenvironment compared to pure zinc

Acta Biomater. 2021 Mar 15:123:393-406. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2020.12.048. Epub 2021 Jan 16.

Authors

Guo Bao¹, Qianqian Fan², Dongfeng Ge², Kun Wang², Mingming Sun², Zechuan Zhang³, Hui Guo³, Hongtao Yang³, Bin He⁴, Yufeng Zheng⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Reproduction and Physiology, National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing 100081, China.
² Department of Reproduction and Physiology, National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing 100081, China; Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
³ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
⁴ Department of Reproduction and Physiology, National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing 100081, China. Electronic address: hebin@nrifp.org.cn.
⁵ Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; International Research Organization for Advanced Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Chuo-Ku, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan. Electronic address: yfzheng@pku.edu.cn.

PMID: 33460794
DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2020.12.048

Abstract

Significant advances have been achieved in the research evaluating Zn and its alloys as degradable metallic biomaterials mainly for application in bone and blood vessels. In the present study, the degradation behaviors of Zn-0.1Li and Zn-0.8Mg alloys in simulated uterine fluid (SUF) were systematically investigated for 300 days. In vitro viability assays were conducted in different uterine cells (HUSMCs, HEECs, and HESCs), and histological examination after the in vivo implantation into the uterine cavity was performed using pure Zn as control. The immersion test results indicated that both Zn-0.1Li and Zn-0.8Mg alloys exhibited better corrosion resistance than pure Zn, with Zn₃(PO₄)₂⋅4H₂O and CaZn₂(PO₄)₂⋅2H₂O being the main corrosion products detected in the SUF in addition to ZnO. The cell cytotoxicity assays revealed that Zn-0.1Li and Zn-0.8Mg exhibited better cytocompatibility than Zn. Moreover, the in vivo experiments demonstrated that the Zn-0.1Li and Zn-0.8Mg alloys induced less inflammation in the uterine tissue than pure Zn, with CaCO₃ and Zn(HPO₄)⋅3H₂O being the major biocorrosion products in addition to ZnO. According to these results, zinc alloys appear to be suitable potential candidate materials for future intrauterine biomedical devices.

Keywords: Biomedical Zn alloys; In vitro; In vivo; Simulated uterine fluid; Uterine cavity microenvironment.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Absorbable Implants
Alloys* / pharmacology
Biocompatible Materials
Corrosion
Feasibility Studies
Materials Testing
Zinc* / pharmacology

Substances

Alloys
Biocompatible Materials
Zinc