Effect of zeolite on the corrosion behavior, biocompatibility and antibacterial activity of porous magnesium/zeolite composite scaffolds.

In the present study, porous magnesium-xzeolite (x= 0, 3, 5 and 7 wt.%) composite scaffolds containing different amounts of zeolite were synthesized through combination of powder metallurgy (PM) and space holder (SH) techniques. The findings demonstrated that incorporation of zeolite into Mg composite scaffolds leads to higher compressive strength and corrosion resistance than Mg scaffolds without Zeo. Moreover, the Mg/Zeo composite scaffold presented good bioactivity, high capability in MG63 cell attachment and viability whereas a smaller number of cells could attach to the Mg scaffold without Zeo. The antibacterial response of these Mg/Zeo-Ag composite scaffolds against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Gram negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) indicates the positive role of silver-zeolite in suppressing the bacteria growth. The aforementioned tests indicated that the articulated magnesium composite scaffold containing 7 wt.% Zeo with suitable mechanical strength and excellent biological activity may be considered as a promising biomaterial for bone substitution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]