The biocompatibility of gallium-based liquid metals with blood and serum
Xinpeng Wang,
Yingying He,
Yudong Wu,
Zhongshi Qi,
Yongliang Wang,
Junhang Ding,
Jie Zhang,
Yubo Fan,
Hongzhang Wang
Affiliations
Xinpeng Wang
Qingdao Central Hospital, School of Rehabilitation Sciences and Engineering, School of Health and Life Sciences, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao 266113, China; Corresponding author
Yingying He
Qingdao Key Laboratory of Marine Natural Products R&D Laboratory, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, China
Yudong Wu
The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, School of Public Health, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
Zhongshi Qi
The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, School of Public Health, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
Yongliang Wang
Qingdao Central Hospital, School of Rehabilitation Sciences and Engineering, School of Health and Life Sciences, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao 266113, China
Junhang Ding
Qingdao Central Hospital, School of Rehabilitation Sciences and Engineering, School of Health and Life Sciences, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao 266113, China
Jie Zhang
Institute of Materials Research & Center of Double Helix, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
Yubo Fan
Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China; Qingdao Central Hospital, School of Rehabilitation Sciences and Engineering, School of Health and Life Sciences, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao 266113, China
Hongzhang Wang
Institute of Materials Research & Center of Double Helix, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China; Corresponding author
Summary: Excellent biocompatibility of liquid metals is the basis for developing biomedical applications, such as implantable devices, drug delivery, and tumor therapy. Especially, a systematic study to reveal the influence of gallium-based liquid metals on the composition of blood while they are used in the human body is vital but missing. Here, the compatibility of three kinds of frequently used gallium-based liquid metals with human blood and serum was explored systematically. The results show that treating blood and serum with gallium-based liquid metals did not cause hemolysis, suggesting red blood cells are not damaged or ruptured, and treatment had a negligible effect on the components in the blood. Additionally, the serum levels of glucose, cholesterol, and liver function molecules showed no change after adding liquid metals. These findings suggest that liquid metals have high compatibility with human blood and serum and are conductive to be applied in the fields of biomedical engineering.
