Development and Characterization of a Novel Two-Solution Bone Cement: Incorporation of Bioactive and Antimicrobial Components

Acrylic bone cements are used rather extensively in orthopedic and spinal applications. The incorporation of calcium phosphate additives to bone cements, to induce osteoconductivity, have typically resulted in increased cement viscosity, decreased handling, and detrimental effects of the mechanical performance of the cement. Additionally, bioactive bone cements are offered at a premium cost, which limits clinical use of these materials. The goal of this study was to examine and characterize an alternative two-solution poly (methyl Methacrylate) (PMMA) bone cement (referred to as TSBC), after incorporation of several calcium phosphate additives and antimicrobials. These bioactive and antimicrobial two-solution cements were designed to have adjustable properties that meet specific requirements of orthopedic applications. The addition of a bioactive agent would lead to increased levels of bone reformation after surgery, while an antibiotic within the cement would decrease the ability for pathogens to grow in the interface between the bone and new implant. TSBC is a pre-mixed bone cement that exhibits a combination of attractive properties including high strength, adjustable viscosity, adequate exothermal properties, as well as offering the possibility of using the same batch multiple times. The addition of antibiotics has not been previously explored in two-solution bone cements. Therefore, it is desirable to induce antibacterial activity with this formulation. Hydroxyapatite (Ca5(PO4)3(OH)), Brushite (CaHPO4•2H2O), and Tricalcium Phosphate (Ca3(PO4)2)(TCP) were incorporated into the TSBC in varying concentrations (25 and 50 wt%), and the rheological characteristics were examined to verify the feasibility of adding high concentrations of fillers to this cement formulation. Results demonstrated that unlike commercial powder-liquid formulations, calcium phosphate additives in TSBC do not detrimentally affect handling and the rheological properties of the material, while also providing maintenance of cement strength and other physical properties. TSBC material spends a dramatically increased amount of time in the swelling phase, as compared to powder-liquid formulations and thus is better suited to incorporate additives fully into its polymer matrix. Current two-solution bone cements do not contain any osteoconductive or antimicrobial agents. This study investigated the effects of addition of these bioactive agents in the physical and mechanical properties of the cement. Cement porosity was investigated to ensure that the porous nature of the bioactive cement does not damage the mechanical stability of the material. Further imaging will be conducted to demonstrate the improved osteointegration of these bioactive cement with osteoblasts (Figure 1). Degradation studies have been conducted to validate the biodegradable properties of the bioactive components and antibiotics release profile. It is further hypothesized that the degradation time will correlate to the antimicrobial activity. As the cement is replaced with natural bone, more and more antimicrobial will become exposed to the physiologic environment causing a continuous antimicrobial release as the material is partially replaced with new bone over time. Antimicrobial effectiveness and antimicrobial release studies are under-way to illustrate the cements ability to restrict growth at the cement surface, as well as show the antimicrobial release profile over time.