[Research progress of magnesium and its alloys as orthopedic implant biomaterial]

Magnesium based implants have the characteristics of bio-degradability, osteoconductive, and, regulatory strength. After the tissue has healed sufficiently, the burden of a second surgical procedure can be avoided. However, the degradation speed is so fast as to limit its clinical application. Hence, it is crucial for the biomedical magnesium alloys to be able to change their biodegradation behavior and speed. This paper reviews the degradability, biological activity and biocompatibility of magnesium and its alloys as orthopedic biomaterial in vitro and vivo to explore the possible way to modify the characteristics of its degradability, for the purpose of controllable degradation speed.