Effects of biodegradable Mg–6Zn alloy extracts on cell cycle of intestinal epithelial cells

In this study, intestinal epithelial cells (IEC)-6 were cultured in different concentration extracts of Mg-6Zn alloys for different time periods. We studied the indirect effects of Mg-6Zn alloys on cell cycle of IEC-6 cells. The cell cycle of IEC-6 cells was measured using flow cytometry. And, the cell cycle of IEC-6 cells was evaluated by investigating the expression of cyclin D1, CDK4, and P21 using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blotting tests. It was found that the IEC-6 cells displayed better cell functions in 20% extract of the Mg-6Zn alloy extracts, compared to the 100% or 60% extract. The in vitro results indicated that the conspicuous alkaline environment that is a result of rapid corrosion of Mg-6Zn alloys is disadvantageous to cell cycle of IEC-6 cells.