| dc.description.abstract |
<p>Extending the functional lifetime of acrylic poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) bone
cement may reduce the number of revision total joint replacement (TJR) surgeries performed
each year. We developed a system utilizing an encapsulated water-reactive, FDA-approved
tissue adhesive, 2-octyl cyanoacrylate (OCA), as a healing agent to repair microcracks
within a bone cement matrix. The proposed research tested the following hypotheses:
(1) reactive OCA can be successfully encapsulated and the resulting capsules thoroughly
characterized; (2) the static mechanical properties of the PMMA composite can be improved
or maintained through inclusion of an optimal wt% of OCA-containing capsules; (3)
PMMA containing encapsulated OCA has a prolonged lifetime when compared with a capsule-free
PMMA control as measured by the number of cycles to failure; and (4) the addition
of capsules to the PMMA does not significantly alter the biocompatibility of the material.
Based on the experiments reported herein, the primary conclusions of this dissertation
are as follows: (1) functional OCA can be encapsulated within polyurethane spheres
and successfully incorporated into PMMA bone cement; (2) lower wt% of capsules maintained
the tensile, compressive, fracture toughness, and bending properties of the PMMA;
(3) inclusion of 5 wt% of OCA-containing capsules in the matrix increased the number
of cycles to failure when compared to unfilled specimens and those filled with OCA-free
capsules; and (4) MG63 human osteosarcoma cell proliferation and viability were unchanged
following exposure to OCA-containing PMMA when compared with a capsule-free control.</p>
|
|
