Introduction

Bone impairment arising from osteoporosis as well as other pathological diseases is a major health problem. Anti-catabolic drugs such as bisphosphonates and other biological agents such as bone morphogenetic proteins and insulin-like growth factor can theoretically apply to stimulate bone formation. However, the formation of more brittle bone and uncontrolled release rate are still a challenge nowadays. Hence, we propose to stimulate bone formation by using a newly developed magnesium-based bone substitute. Indeed, the presence of magnesium ions can stimulate bone growth and healing by enhancing osteoblastic activity. This study aims to investigate the mechanical, in vitro and in vivo properties of this novel bone substitute.