Abstract
Magnesium and its alloys are suitable materials for biodegradable biomedical implants such as cardiovascular stents. Here we introduce an innovative composite polyelectrolyte multilayer/wax coating applied to commercial coronary Mg-based stents serving as a barrier layer effectively retarding corrosion. This hydrophobic coating, build by layer-by-layer technology, appeared very thin, smooth, homogeneous, strongly adherent and completely covering the surface of the Mg-stent. In-vitro degradation tests showed greater resistance to degradation of coated Mg-stents compared to uncoated and passivated ones. Cytocompatibility studies proved that Mg-stent coated with the composite coating was non-cytotoxic and improved fibroblast cell viability compared to the uncoated Mg-stent.