Laser surface melting (LSM) has been widely reported for corrosion protection to magnesium alloys. However, magnesium alloys are much better known as implant materials; thus, in this work, cell adhesion behavior of AZ91D magnesium alloy by LSM treatment was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), contact angle measurements, hydrogen evolution tests, and cell culture study were used to characterize the microstructure, composition, surface energy, biodegradability, cell adhesion behavior, and cytocompatibility, respectively. Results showed that the biodegradation rate decreased, the surface energy (42.9 ± 1.3 mJ/m2, N= 10) was higher than that of the as-received one (23.1 ± 1.2 mJ/m2, N= 10), and the average surface roughness value (Ra) increased from
0.16 ± 0.02 μm to 2.53 ± 0.03 μm after LSM treatment. The laser-surface-treated magnesium alloys presented good cytocompatibility, and the cell adhesion on the surface of magnesium alloy was improved because of the higher surface energy, lower degradation, and increased roughness.