Pitting behavior of 316L stainless steel in direct culture with mesenchymal stem cells

Corrosion is one of the dominating reasons for failure of metallic implants. The corrosion behavior of the 316 L stainless steels (316 L SS) in direct culture with bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) was studied via electrochemical measurements. The adhesion, proliferation and apoptosis of BMSCs could be detected by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The presence of BMSCs could decline the stability of the passive films and lower the pitting potential of the 316 L SS. The pitting corrosion preferentially initiated at the peripheries of the BMSCs, which was driven by surface overpotential potential generated from the negative transmembrane potential.