For alveolar bone defects, magnesium membrane with the mechanical properties of shielding fibrocyte growth and sustainable release of Mg²⁺ is an excellent choice for guide bone regeneration (GBR) surgery. However, insufficient osteogenesis and bacterial infection have hindered its application. In this study, Mg–Ga-LDH coating was successfully prepared, which delayed the degradation rate of the Mg membranes and greatly reduced the amount of hydrogen evolution. A weakly alkaline microenvironment (pH = 8.5) containing appropriate concentrations of Mg²⁺ and Ga³⁺ was successfully constructed, effectively promoting the adhesion and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells. It also upregulated the expression of alkaline phosphatase and collagen, which were conducive to the formation of mineralized nodules, and promoted the osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in vitro. In addition, Ga³⁺ released from the coating and the generated alkaline microenvironment showed good antibacterial properties against S. aureus and E. coli. The Mg–Ga-LDH coating can effectively reduce the degradation rate of Mg membranes and mitigate inflammation. The Mg–Ga-LDH coating modified Mg membrane promoted new bone formation in cranial defect animal models. This bone-promoting Mg²⁺ and Ga³⁺ releasing platform and weak alkaline microenvironment creation system paves the way for the application of Mg membranes in the field of GBR.

The rapid corrosion rate and limited biological functionality still pose challenges for magnesium (Mg)-based implants in the treatment of complicated bone-related diseases in clinic. Herein, a multifunctional biodegradable curcumin (herbal medicine)-ferrum (Cur-Fe) nanoflower was self-assembled on plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO)-treated Mg alloy via a facile immersion process to realize differential biological function for anti-bacteria/tumor and bone regeneration. The results indicated that Cur-Fe nanoflower coating can promote protein adsorption, cell adhesion and proliferation, exhibiting excellent biocompatibility. The Cur-Fe nanoflower coating exhibits unique degradation characteristics, as curcumin gradually decomposes into ferulic acid, aromatic aldehyde and other antibacterial substances, and the coating spontaneously converts into FeOOH nanosheets, ensuring the corrosion resistance of Mg-based implants. Moreover, Cur-Fe coating exhibits remarkable narrow gap semiconductor characteristics, which can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and demonstrated excellent antibacterial effect under simulated sunlight (SSL) irradiation. Meanwhile, under NIR irradiation, Cur-Fe coating showed excellent chemotherapy/photodynamic/photothermal synergetic antitumor properties in vitro and in vivo due to the introduction of curcumin, and photocatalysis and photothermal conversion properties of coating. Furthermore, Cur-Fe nanoflower coating demonstrated great osteogenesis activity in vitro and in vivo due to unique micro/nano structure, surface chemical bond, and the release of Mg and Fe ions.

H₂O₂ and glutathione (GSH) are critical redox molecules in the organism. Abnormal levels of cellular H₂O₂ and GSH are closely related to some diseases. Thus, it is imperative to detect H₂O₂ and GSH efficiently. In this work, Fe—N—C single atom nanozymes (SANs) with both peroxidase and oxidase-mimicking activities were successfully prepared with the help of formamide condensation by one-step hydrothermal method. The Fe—N—C SANs show excellent peroxidase-like activity, which possess a higher affinity for H₂O₂ and 3, 3′, 5, 5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) than horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Then, based on the chromogenic reaction of TMB, a colorimetric biosensor to detect H₂O₂ and GSH was developed. This biosensor has the linear ranges of 10–600 μmol/L for H₂O₂ with a low detection limit of 4.360 μmol/L and 100–400 μmol/L for GSH with a low detection limit of 78.33 μmol/L. Besides, this colorimetric biosensor exhibited a good recovery of H₂O₂ and GSH in diluted human serum. Finally, the Fe—N—C SANs were encapsulated into agar gel to self-quantitatively detect GSH by naked eyes. This work provides a non-pyrolytic way to prepare SANs, which broadens the synthetic method of SANs and may promote the development of SANs for biosensor application.

Photothermal therapy becomes a hotspot in the treatment of bone tumors. Magnesium and its alloys are regarded as potential bone implants for their favorable mechanical property and biodegradable in vivo. However, there is few research devoted to fabricating a photothermal coating on Mg alloy. In the present study, reduced graphene oxide coating with a strong photothermal effect was prepared on the surface of AZ31 via two steps. Firstly, graphene oxide coating was deposited on the surface via electrophoresis deposited (GO#), followed by a reduction process of the graphene oxide coating in ultrapure water (rGO#). GO# and rGO# coatings were characterized by SEM, Raman, XRD, FTIR, and XPS. The results revealed that, compared with GO# coating, the content of oxygen-containing (C–O/C–O-C, C=O, O–C=O) groups on rGO# coating was significantly decreased. rGO# coating was found tightly adhered to AZ31 substrate. According to the first-principles calculations, the well-bonded heterostructure between MgO and rGO is the main reason for the strong bonding force. Moreover, the prepared rGO# coating showed a superior photothermal effect, which brings a new strategy to the treatment of bone tumors with Mg-based implants.