Comparative Study of Porous Iron Foams for Biodegradable Implants: Structural Analysis and In Vitro Assessment

Biodegradable metal systems are the future of modern implantology. This publication describes the preparation of porous iron-based materials using a simple, affordable replica method on a polymeric template. We obtained two iron-based materials with different pore sizes for potential application in cardiac surgery implants. The materials were compared in terms of their corrosion rate (using immersion and electrochemical methods) and their cytotoxic activity (indirect test on three cell lines: mouse L929 fibroblasts, human aortic smooth muscle cells (HAMSC), and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC)). Our research proved that the material being too porous might have a toxic effect on cell lines due to rapid corrosion.

Automated summary

This publication presents the fabrication of porous iron-based materials using a cost-effective replica method on a polymeric template. The obtained materials with different pore sizes show potential for application in cardiac surgery implants. Corrosion rate and cytotoxic activity of the materials were evaluated. The study found that excessive porosity of the material may cause toxic effects on cell lines due to rapid corrosion.