In vitro and in vivo studies of the degradation, antibacterial and osteogenic property of Zn–1Mg-xCu alloys membrane for oral guided bone regeneration

Biodegradable zinc alloys show promising potential for application in oral guided bone regeneration (GBR) due to their appropriate degradation rate and favorable osteogenic properties. However, their relatively low tensile strength and lack of antibacterial properties limit their broader clinical use. In this study, copper was introduced into the Zn–1Mg alloy to enhance both its mechanical, antibacterial, and osteogenic performance. The results indicate that the as-rolled Zn–1Mg–1Cu alloy exhibits the best overall mechanical properties, achieving a tensile strength of 276 MPa and an elongation of 6.2%. When the copper content exceeds 1%, the corrosion rate of the alloy increases significantly, while the antibacterial rate against E. coli reaches 100%. At copper contents below 1%, cytocompatibility improves with increasing copper content. However, further increase in copper content leads to a substantial rise in cytotoxicity. The results from the in vivo rabbit skull experiment showed that Zn–1Mg–1Cu alloy had good osteogenic performance with the BV/TV value of 55% after 8 weeks implantation, and many trabecular bones were observed from the bone slice. Therefore, the as-rolled Zn–1Mg–1Cu alloy demonstrates the greatest potential for use as an oral GBR membrane.