Zinc-Based Biomaterials for Regeneration and Therapy

Abstract

Zinc has been described as the "calcium of the twenty-first century." Zinc-based degradable biomaterials have recently emerged thanks to their intrinsic physiological relevance, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and pro-regeneration properties. Zinc-based biomaterials mainly include metallic zinc alloys, zinc ceramic nanomaterials, and zinc metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Metallic zinc implants degrade at a desirable rate, matching the healing pace of local tissues, and stimulating remodeling and formation of new tissues. Zinc ceramic nanomaterials are also beneficial for tissue engineering and therapy thanks to their nanostructures and antibacterial properties. MOFs have large surface areas and are easily functionalized, making them ideal for drug delivery and cancer therapy. This review highlights recent developments in zinc-based biomaterials, discusses obstacles to overcome, and pinpoints directions for future research.

Biofunctionalization of metallic implants by calcium phosphate coatings

“…Compared to polymers and ceramics, metallic materials have been applied clinically on account of appropriate physical and mechanical properties [ 2 ]. The most common inert metallic implants so far are three types of alloys namely stainless steels, titanium (Ti) alloys, and cobalt-chromium alloys [ 3 ], while biodegradable metals, including magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn), have been pursued recently as a new generation of biomaterials for temporary applications [ [4] , [5] , [6] , [7] , [8] ]. However, the bioactivities of all these insert and biodegradable metals are somewhat suboptimal and limited, and thus some functionalities is required for them when applied in specific clinical practice [ 9 ].…”

Double-edged effects and mechanisms of Zn2+ microenvironments on osteogenic activity of BMSCs: osteogenic differentiation or apoptosis

“…In recent years, zinc-containing biomaterials such as metallic zinc alloys, 1 zinc bone cements, 2 bioglasses, 3 hydrogels 4 and coatings 5 have gained extensive attention due to their biocompatibility, osteogenic activity and antibacterial properties, and these effects mainly result from released zinc ions (Zn 2+ ). 6 Zn 2+ ions are essential cofactors for key enzymes related with bone metabolism (e.g. alkaline phosphatase, collagenase, carbonic anhydrase) and are involved in energy metabolism of bone cells.…”

Chemical and Biological Roles of Zinc in a Porous Titanium Dioxide Layer Formed by Micro-Arc Oxidation

“…In addition to the efficacy of Ag for bacteria, copper, zinc (Zn), gallium, selenium and silicon have been recently used as antibacterial elements owing to their good antibacterial activity [23,[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. Among them, Zn is one of the most important trace elements in living organisms and an effective antibacterial element [30,31,[36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. Therefore, we expected that the application of Zn for the surface modification of implant devices might offer antibacterial activity as effective as that of Ag.…”