ACRYLIC BONE CEMENTS PREPARED WITH AN ALKALINE CO-MONOMER AND HYDROXYAPATITE: STUDIES IN VITRO AND IN VIVO

Abstract

Based on the statistical analysis results of the mechanical and curing tests of bone cements formulations added with Hydroxyapatite in percentages between 0 – 20 w/w and Dimethyl amino ethyl methacrylate (DMAEM) in percentages between 0 - 10 w/w reported in previous studies [1], four bone cements formulations were selected to evaluate the fixation of an apatite layer on its surface after immersion in a simulated biological fluid (FBS) for 15 and 30 days, and the tissue reaction through histological tests in rabbits tibias implanted with the material. According to the analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Dispersive Energy Spectroscopy (SEM -EDS), the presence of hydroxyapatite and the co-monomer favored the fixation of a layer similar to biological apatite on the surface of the material after immersion for 15 and 30 days in the FBS; whereas, the formulations of unmodified bone cements showed no adhesion of the apatite layer after the same time of the immersion in the FBS. In general, the histological tests showed qualitatively and quantitatively that there was no inflammation reaction in the tissue when in contact with the modified or unmodified bone cement.