Biodegradable Metal-Based Stents: Advances, Challenges, and Prospects

Lifeng Sun1, Yuanyuan Zeng1, Zhengyu Shen2

  • 1Biotechnology and Food Engineering Department, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou 515063, China.

PubMed

Insights

Biodegradable metallic stents offer a promising alternative to traditional options for treating cardiovascular disease. These advanced stents aim to improve patient outcomes by minimizing long-term complications associated with current treatments.

Area of Science:

  • Biomaterials Science
  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Materials Engineering

Background:

  • Cardiovascular disease is a major global health concern.
  • Percutaneous coronary intervention using traditional stents faces challenges like restenosis and thrombosis.
  • Biodegradable metallic vascular stents present a potential solution with improved biocompatibility and mechanical properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide a comprehensive review of biodegradable metallic stents for coronary artery disease.
  • To outline design principles, performance evaluation, and material characteristics.
  • To discuss current challenges and future research prospects.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current research on biodegradable metallic stents.
  • Analysis of design principles, including mechanical properties, chemical characteristics, corrosion, and biocompatibility.
  • Summary of material features, degradation mechanisms, and metabolic behavior of magnesium, iron, and zinc alloys.

Main Results:

  • Biodegradable metallic stents show potential due to their mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and in vivo degradation.
  • Key considerations include degradation rate and the development of specific alloys like zinc alloys.
  • Current research highlights achievements and challenges in the field.

Conclusions:

  • Biodegradable metallic stents are a promising area of research for cardiovascular disease treatment.
  • Further optimization and research are needed to overcome challenges related to degradation rates and alloy development.
  • Future prospects involve refining these stents for enhanced patient outcomes.