Accelerating Corrosion of Pure Magnesium Co-implanted with Titanium in Vivo

Magnesium is a type of reactive metal, and is susceptible to galvanic corrosion. In the present study, the impact of coexistence of Ti on the corrosion behavior of high purity Mg (HP Mg) was investigated both in vitro and in vivo. Increased corrosion rate of HP Mg was demonstrated when Mg and Ti discs were not in contact. The in vivo experiments further confirmed accelerating corrosion of HP Mg screws when they were co-implanted with Ti screws into Sprague-Dawley rats' femur, spacing 5 and 10 mm. Micro CT scan and 3D reconstruction revealed severe corrosion morphology of HP Mg screws. The calculated volume loss was much higher for the HP Mg screw co-implanted with Ti screw as compared to that co-implanted with another Mg screw. Consequently, less new bone tissue ingrowth and lower pullout force were found in the former group. It is hypothesized that the abundant blood vessels on the periosteum act as wires to connect the Mg and Ti screws and form a galvanic-like cell, accelerating the corrosion of Mg. Therefore, a certain distance is critical to maintain the mechanical and biological property of Mg when it is co-implanted with Ti.