Biodegradable high-nitrogen iron alloy anastomotic staples: In vitro and in vivo studies

For gastrointestinal anastomosis, metallic biodegradable staples have a broad application potential. However, both magnesium and zinc alloys have relatively low strength to withstand the repeated peristalsis of the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, we developed a novel kind of biodegradable high-nitrogen iron (HN–Fe) alloy wires (0.23 mm), which were fabricated into the staples. The tensile results showed that the ultimate tensile strength and elongation of HN–Fe wires were 1023.2 MPa and 51.0 %, respectively, which was much higher than those of other biodegradable wires. The degradation rate in vitro of HN–Fe wires was slightly higher than that of pure Fe wires. After 28 days of immersion, the tensile strength of HN–Fe wires remained not less than 240 MPa, meeting the clinical requirements. Furthermore, sixteen rabbits were enrolled to conduct a comparison experiment using HN–Fe and clinical Ti staples for gastroanastomosis. After 6 months of implantation, a homogeneous degradation product layer on HN–Fe staples was observed and no fracture occurred. The degradation rate of HN–Fe staples in vivo was significantly higher than that in vitro, and they were expected to be completely degraded in 2 years. Meanwhile, both benign cutting and closure performance of HN–Fe staples ensured that all the animals did not experience hemorrhage and anastomotic fistula during the observation. The anastomosis site healed without histopathological change, inflammatory reaction and abnormal blood routine and biochemistry, demonstrating good biocompatibility of HN–Fe staples. Thereby, the favorable performance makes the HN–Fe staples developed in this work a promising candidate for gastrointestinal anastomosis.