Biomaterials Research and Medical Applications | Biomed Grid

The biocompatibility of a material can be defined in the sense that it produces desired or tolerated reactions in a living organism. The metals, in contact with the biological body, give complex effects, producing a series of biological reactions depending on the concentration, the exposure time, etc. According to the biological interaction mode, the metals are divided into: (i) Metallic elements needed in very small concentrations for the living body called essential elements, including cobalt, manganese, zinc, magnesium, sodium, potassium etc.; (ii) Elements that produce toxic effects for the body if present in higher concentrations, the cytotoxic effect being demonstrated by the cell culture system, such as arsenic, cobalt, nickel etc . and (iii) Metals with allergic potential (nickel, cobalt and chromium) are considered to be highly allergic to the body. The overall strategy for testing biomaterials involves assessing them in two ways: (i) “in vitro” evaluation performed on cell cultures or in the blood; (ii) “in vivo” assessment on animals.