Recent Developments in Engineered Magnesium Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

Significant attention has been drawn in recent years to develop porous scaffolds for tissue engineering. In general, porous scaffolds are used for non-load bearing applications. However, various metallic scaffolds have been investigated extensively for hard tissue repair due to their favorable mechanical and biological properties. Stainless steel (316L) and titanium (Ti) alloys are the most commonly used material for metallic scaffolds. Although stainless steel and Ti alloys are employed as scaffold materials, it might result in complications such as stress shielding, local irritation, interference with radiography, etc. related to the permanent implants. To address the above-mentioned complications, degradable metallic scaffolds have emerged as a next generation material. Among the all metallic degradable scaffold materials, magnesium (Mg) based material has gained significant attention owing to its advantageous mechanical properties and excellent biocompatibility in a physiological environment. Therefore, Mg based materials can be projected as load bearing degradable scaffolds, which can provide structural support toward the defected hard tissue during the healing period. Moreover, advanced manufacturing techniques such as solvent cast 3D printing, negative salt pattern molding, laser perforation, and surface modifications can make Mg based scaffolds promising for hard tissue repair. In this article, we focus on the advanced fabrication techniques which can tune the porosity of the degradable Mg based scaffold favorably and improve its biocompatibility.