Patel Anup Kumar, Balani Kantesh
Biomaterials Processing and Characterization Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, 208016, India.
Biomaterials Processing and Characterization Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, 208016, India.
Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl. 2015 Jan;46:504-13. doi: 10.1016/j.msec.2014.10.075. Epub 2014 Oct 29.
Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is widely used as bone-replacement material for articulating surfaces due to its excellent wear resistance and low coefficient of friction. But, the wear debris, generated during abrasion between mating surfaces, leads to aseptic loosening of implants. Thus, various reinforcing agents are generally utilized, which may alter the surface and biological properties of UHMWPE. In the current work, the cellular response of compression molded UHMWPE upon reinforcement of bioactive multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and bioinert aluminum oxide (Al2O3) is investigated. The phase retention and stability were observed using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The reinforcement of MWCNTs and Al2O3 has shown to alter the wettability (from contact angle of ~88°±2° to ~118°±4°) and surface energy (from ~23.20 to ~17.75 mN/m) of composites with respect to UHMWPE, without eliciting any adverse effect on cytocompatibility for the L929 mouse fibroblast cell line. Interestingly, the cellular growth of the L929 mouse fibroblast cell line is observed to be dominated by the dispersion fraction of surface free energy (SFE). After 48 h of incubation period, a decrease in metabolic activity of MWCNT-Al2O3 reinforced composites is attributed to apatite formation that reduces the dispersion fraction of surface energy. The mineralized apatite during incubation was confirmed and quantified by energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction respectively. Thus, the dispersion fraction of surface free energy can be engineered to play an important role in achieving enhanced metabolic activity of the MWCNT-Al2O3 reinforced UHMWPE biopolymer composites.
超高分子量聚乙烯（UHMWPE）因其优异的耐磨性和低摩擦系数，被广泛用作关节表面的骨替代材料。但是，在配对表面磨损过程中产生的磨损碎屑会导致植入物无菌性松动。因此，通常会使用各种增强剂，这可能会改变UHMWPE的表面和生物学特性。在当前工作中，研究了压缩成型的UHMWPE在生物活性多壁碳纳米管（MWCNT）和生物惰性氧化铝（Al2O3）增强后的细胞反应。使用X射线衍射、拉曼光谱和傅里叶变换红外（FTIR）光谱观察相保留和稳定性。与UHMWPE相比，MWCNT和Al2O3的增强作用已显示出会改变复合材料的润湿性（从约88°±2°的接触角变为约118°±4°）和表面能（从约23.20变为约17.75 mN/m），而对L929小鼠成纤维细胞系的细胞相容性没有产生任何不利影响。有趣的是，观察到L929小鼠成纤维细胞系的细胞生长受表面自由能（SFE）分散分数的主导。在孵育48小时后，MWCNT-Al2O3增强复合材料的代谢活性降低归因于磷灰石形成，这降低了表面能的分散分数。分别通过能量色散光谱和X射线衍射对孵育过程中矿化的磷灰石进行了确认和定量。因此，可以设计表面自由能的分散分数，以在实现MWCNT-Al2O3增强的UHMWPE生物聚合物复合材料增强的代谢活性方面发挥重要作用。
