Degradable Magnesium Implants Inhibit Gallbladder Cancer

Gallbladder cancer can be difficult to detect in its early stages and is prone to metastasize, causing bile duct obstruction, which is usually treated by stent implantation in clinic. However, the commonly used biliary stents are non-degradable, which not only prone to secondary blockage, but also need to be removed by secondary surgery. Biodegradable magnesium (Mg) are expected to one of the promising candidates for degradable biliary stents due to its excellent physicochemical property and biocompatibility. In this work, we study the influence of high-purity Mg wires on gallbladder cancer through in vitro and in vivo experiments, and reveal that the degradation products of Mg could significantly inhibit the growth of gallbladder cancer cells and promote their apoptosis. Our findings indicate that Mg biliary stent possesses the function of draining bile and treating gallbladder cancer, suggesting that Mg has good application prospects in biliary surgery.