2. Academic Validation
  3. Functionalized layered double hydroxide coatings on biodegradable Zn-Mg alloy enhance osteogenesis via the Wnt/β-catenin and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways

Functionalized layered double hydroxide coatings on biodegradable Zn-Mg alloy enhance osteogenesis via the Wnt/β-catenin and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways

  • Acta Biomater. 2026 Jan 26:S1742-7061(26)00061-9. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2026.01.046.
Yupu Lu 1,  Wenlong Ren 2,  Qi Li 3,  Yanjie Zhao 2,  Rong-Chang Zeng 2,  Yongsheng Zhou 4,  Fen Zhang 5,  Yufeng Zheng 6,  Dandan Xia 7
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Dental Materials, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices & Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology & NHC Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology & NMPA Key Laboratory for Dental Materials, Beijing, 100081, China; College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China.
  • 2 College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China.
  • 3 Department of Prosthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, 100081, China.
  • 4 Department of Prosthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, 100081, China; Institute of Advanced Clinical Medicine, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China.
  • 5 College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 6 School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 7 Department of Dental Materials, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices & Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology & NHC Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology & NMPA Key Laboratory for Dental Materials, Beijing, 100081, China; Institute of Advanced Clinical Medicine, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 41605408 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2026.01.046
Abstract

Biodegradable zinc (Zn)-based implants have shown great potential for orthopedic applications. However, excessive Zn2+ release during the degradation of Zn-based implants results in compromised biocompatibility and suboptimal osteogenic activity. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs), known for the capability to regulate degradation behavior while also exhibiting remarkable biocompatibility and osteoinductive capacity, offer a promising solution. Herein, Zn-Al LDH coating was fabricated on Zn-0.8Mg alloy substrates via an in-situ growth method. Subsequently, the effect of solution pH on the degradation behavior, cytotoxicity and osteogenic capacity of the LDH coating was investigated. Benefiting from the distinctive characteristics of the constructed LDH coating, the Zn-0.8Mg alloy with LDH coating prepared at pH=11 exhibited uniformly distributed nanosheets and demonstrated favorable corrosion resistance. During degradation, the low concentration of Zn2+ released from LDH-modified Zn-0.8Mg alloy implants fabricated at pH=11 improved cytocompatibility, facilitated osteoblasts proliferation and osteogenic differentiation in vitro, and accelerated bone regeneration in vivo. Furthermore, the formation mechanism of the LDH coating on Zn-based alloy was elucidated. Transcriptomic analysis further revealed that the LDH coating promoted osteogenic differentiation by activating the Wnt/β-catenin and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways. Collectively, this work offered a feasible strategy to enhance the biocompatibility and bone regeneration capability of Zn-based alloys, broadening their biomedical application. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: As highly promising biodegradable metals, Zn-based alloys have become a research hotspot in the fields of dentistry and orthopedics. However, the excessive Zn2+ release during initial degradation may cause adverse biological responses, limiting their clinical translation. In this study, we fabricated LDH-coated Zn-0.8Mg alloy by in-situ growth method at different pH values to regulate degradation behavior, improve biocompatibility and enhance osteogenic properties. This study demonstrated that LDH-coated Zn-0.8Mg alloy fabricated at pH=11 exhibited significantly optimized corrosion resistance, biocompatibility and osteogenic properties, thereby expanding its potential for implant applications.

Keywords

Corrosion resistance; Formation mechanism; Layered double hydroxide; Osteogenic properties; Zn-Mg alloy.

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