The beneficial influence of microarc oxidation-coated magnesium alloy on the adhesion, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells

The rapid corrosion rate hinds the clinical application of magnesium-based materials. Therefore, microarc oxidation (MAO) coatings were fabricated on a magnesium alloy named AZ31B to improve its anti-corrosion ability, while the surface morphology and degradation behavior were studied. The adhesion, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) cultured with MAO-AZ31B were investigated. In contrast to uncoated one, MAO-AZ31B performed a long-term corrosion resistance for more than five weeks. Evidenced by cell test, MAO coatings could promote BMSCs adhesion, proliferation and induced osteogenic differentiation in comparison with uncoated samples. Thus MAO showed beneficial effects on the corrosion resistance of, and thus improved cell adhesion to the biodegradable AZ31B, and is a promising method for surface modification of biomedical magnesium alloys.