Cytotoxicity in Vitro of a Noval Ni-free ZrCuFeAlAg Bulk Metallic Glass / 生物医学工程学杂志

ABSTRACT

This paper is to evaluate the biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of a new Ni-free Zr-based bulk metallic glass (BMG), Zr60.14 Cu22.31 Fe4.85 Al9.7 Ag3, by comparing it with conventional Ti6Al4V alloy. According to ISO 10993-5 1999 and GB/T 16886.5-1997 standards, Zr60.14 Cu22.31 Fe4.85 Al9.7 Ag3, pure Zr and Ti6Al4V materials were extracted with surface area of sample/volume of medium ratio being 1 cm2/mL and 0.5 cm2/mL, respectively. The viabilities of MG-63 cells (Human osteosarcoma cell line) cultured in the BMG medium extracts for 1, 3 and 5 days were determined by CCK-8 assay. The cellular morphology of MG-63 cells cultured on the surface of samples for 3 days was tested through laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The relative growth rate (RGR) of MG-63 cells cultured in Zr60.14 Cu22.31 Fe4.85 Al9.7 Ag3 and pure Zr were both more than 85%, indicating that the cytotoxicity of BMG was relatively low and met the national biomedical material eligibility standard. There was insignificant difference in the morphology of MG-63 cells cultured in the BMG medium extracts and the control group through LSCM and SEM, which showed the BMG had excellent biological compatibility. The Zr-based bulk metallic glass Zr60.14 Cu22.31 Fe4.85 Al9.7 Ag3 and the conventional Ti6Al4V alloy both had no obvious cytotoxicity to MG-63 cells. These results provided evidence that the new Zr-based bulk metallic glass could be potential replacement material for the orthopedic surgical implant.