Cytocompatibility evaluation of NiMnSn meta-magnetic shape memory alloys for biomedical applications

Recently, magnetic shape memory alloys (MSMAs) have emerged as an interesting extension to conventional shape memory alloys (SMAs) due to their capacity to undergo reversible deformation in response to an externally applied magnetic field. Meta-magnetic SMAs (M-MSMAs) are a class of MSMAs that are able to transform magnetic energy to mechanical work by harnessing a magnetic-field induced phase transformation, and thus have the capacity to impose up to 10 times greater stress than conventional MSMAs. As such, M-MSMAs may hold substantial promise in biomedical applications requiring extracorporeal device activation. In the present study, the cytotoxicity and ion release from an Ni50 Mn36 Sn14 atomic percent composition M-MSMA were evaluated using NIH/3T3 fibroblasts. Initial studies showed that the viability of cells exposed to NiMnSn ion leachants was 60 to 67% of tissue culture polystyrene (TCP) controls over 10 to 14 days of culture. This represents a significant improvement in cytocompatibility relative to NiMnGa alloys, one of the most extensively studied MSMA systems, which have been reported to induce 80% cell death in only 48 h. Furthermore, NiMnSn M-MSMA associated cell viability was increased to 80% of TCP controls following layer-by-layer alloy coating with poly(allylamine hydrochloride)/poly(acrylic acid) [PAH/PAA]. Ion release measures revealed that the PAH/PAA coatings decreased total Sn and Mn ion release by 50% and 25%, respectively, and optical microscopy evaluation indicated that the coatings reduced NiMnSn surface oxidation. To our knowledge, this study presents the first cytotoxicity evaluation of NiMnSn M-MSMAs and lays the groundwork for their further biological evaluation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 104B: 853-863, 2016.