Releasing profile of antibiotics from a novel mineralized collagen putty with quantifiable drug loading

This study aims to compare the release profile of antibiotics when loaded onto a new mineralized collagen (MC) putty with conventional polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) cement as well as their feasibility for clinical application for orthopaedic wounds. Two types of antibiotic-loaded implants were fabricated by physically mixing Imipenem or Vancomycin with either PMMA or MC in a quantifiable manner. Subsequently, the release profiles of antibiotics and their inhibitory effects on bacterial growth were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. In comparison to PMMA, the antibiotic-loaded MC putty was easier to make with high flexibility of antibiotic selection based on drug sensitivity test, and surgeon friendly moldability. The inhibitory effects of bacterial growth lasted 24 h post-intramuscular implantation. The Imipenem-loaded MC putty was confirmed to be superior as a local drug delivery system (LDDS) over PMMA cement, the only type of antibiotics carrier orthopaedic clinics currently use.