Antibacterial evaluation of bioactive modifiers of bone cements: antibiotics, nanometals and chitosan

Modern biomaterials in addition to their basic tasks, can serve as carriers of active substance. The release of a bioactive particles allows to locally fight infection or its prevent it. Bone cements additionally to their basic applications in orthopedic surgery can also serve to deliver locally active substances. Currently, only antibiotics are routinely used as modifiers for bone cements. Bioactive bone cements constitute a constantly growing group of biomaterials. In this work, analysis of the bactericidal effectiveness of selected bioactive substances used as cement modifiers was performed. Specimens of PMMA bone cement with the following additives were prepared: antibiotics (gentamicin and ciprofloxacin), nanometals (nanosilver and nanocopper) and chitosan. Then this specimens were tested in the aspect of combating bacteria. The bacterial growth inhibition zone for a medium composed of three hospital strains: Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli was measured. The efficacy of bone cements containing antibiotics or nanometals has been confirmed. It is assumed that the use of bone cements as carriers of active substances is possible.