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Developing antibacterial Zn-Cu-Mg alloys with high strength and osteogenic stimulation for osteomyelitis
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  • Published: 02 April 2026

Developing antibacterial Zn-Cu-Mg alloys with high strength and osteogenic stimulation for osteomyelitis

  • Jingzhe He1 na1,
  • Yindong Song2 na1,
  • Yi Xiao3,
  • Yifan Wang4,
  • Yuan Yan1,
  • Hui Yu1,
  • Yu Zhang1,
  • Guiying Liu5 &
  • …
  • Jin Xiao6 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Biotechnology
  • Materials science

Abstract

Biodegradable metals are promising candidates for osteomyelitis management because they can provide mechanical support, enable tunable degradation, display inherent antibacterial effects, and stimulate osteogenesis. Here, Zn alloys incorporating Cu and Mg were designed as multifunctional implant materials to concurrently suppress infection and promote bone regeneration. Equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) was used to refine grains to the submicron scale and substantially fragment secondary phases. Mechanical testing showed that Zn-1Cu-1Mg alloy achieved the highest hardness and tensile strength among the investigated alloys, which is attributed to the combined contributions of grain refinement and second-phase strengthening. Electrochemical and immersion evaluations further indicated that the addition of Cu improved corrosion resistance of Zn-1Mg alloy. The reduced corrosion rate is associated with the formation of compact corrosion layers enriched in Zn, O, C, Ca, P, and Cl. In vitro assays using BMSCs demonstrated high cell viability, meanwhile, osteogenic assessments revealed enhanced ALP activity, increased mineralized nodule formation, and upregulated osteogenic gene expression. All Zn alloys also showed pronounced antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli. Collectively, these results suggest that Zn-1Cu-1Mg alloys offer a multifunctional biodegradable option for osteomyelitis through the integration of infection control and bone regeneration.

Data availability

Data for this article, including generated or analyzed during this study are available at figshare at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30816842.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally to this work: Jingzhe He and Yindong Song.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics Oncology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 519041, Guangdong, P.R. China

    Jingzhe He, Yuan Yan, Hui Yu & Yu Zhang

  2. Department of Orthopaedics, Liwan Central Hospital of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, 510170, Guangdong, P.R. China

    Yindong Song

  3. Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Baiyun Distrcit, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China

    Yi Xiao

  4. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan, P.R. China

    Yifan Wang

  5. Department of Cardiovasology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, No. 566 Congcheng Avenue, Conghua District, Guangzhou, 510900, Guangdong, P. R. China

    Guiying Liu

  6. Department of Orthopaedics, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Maoming People’s Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, P. R. China

    Jin Xiao

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  1. Jingzhe He
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Contributions

JZ.H., DY.S., and Y.X. contributed equally to this work. JZ.H., and DY.S. was responsible for conceptualization, methodology, investigation, and writing the original draft. Y.X. conducted methodology development, investigation (corrosion experiments, antibacterial testing), validation, data curation, and writing the original draft. YF.W. performed in vitro cytocompatibility assays, formal analysis, and visualization. Y.Y. carried out osteogenic induction experiments, sample preparation, and data collection. H.Y. provided resources, technical support, and validation. Y.Z. supervised the project, led conceptualization, performed writing – review & editing, and secured funding acquisition. J.X. and GY.L. provided supervision, designed the methodology, conducted writing – review & editing, and gave final approval of the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Yu Zhang, Guiying Liu or Jin Xiao.

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He, J., Song, Y., Xiao, Y. et al. Developing antibacterial Zn-Cu-Mg alloys with high strength and osteogenic stimulation for osteomyelitis. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-46548-0

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  • Received: 22 December 2025

  • Accepted: 26 March 2026

  • Published: 02 April 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-46548-0

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Keywords

  • Zinc alloy
  • Mechanical properties
  • Corrosion
  • Osteogenesis
  • Antibacterial activity
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