Xiangxue Meng, Anhong Liu, Chung-Ying Wu, Xiao Han, Yang Qianqian, Hao Qiu, Xiaoming Li, Mengmeng Cai, Tinghe Duan, Zhanhui Wang
As technology continues to progress, innovations in research and applications within the medical field are steadily emerging. Magnesium and its alloys, as emerging materials, exhibit characteristics such as low density, favorable biocompatibility, and biodegradable properties, rendering them highly promising for broad applications in the medical field.This article reviews the research and development of magnesium and its alloys in medical fields such as orthopedics, oncology, and neurology, as well as their use as biomedical materials. It summarizes how treatments including purification, alloying, and surface modification of magnesium can fully unlock the potential of magnesium and its alloys in targeted therapy, tissue repair, antibacterial applications, and fixation of medical implants. However, to achieve widespread clinical adoption of magnesium-based biomaterials, further breakthroughs remain necessary in areas such as biocompatibility, mechanical properties, and large-scale clinical validation.