Thompson Russell E, Segal Maddison I, Sipics Stephanie, Judge Nicola G, Bensoussan Alexia, Keshavarz Bavand, Becker Matthew L
Department of Radiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering & Material Science, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
Adv Healthc Mater. 2025 Jun 18:e2501633. doi: 10.1002/adhm.202501633.
Vertebral body compression fractures are a major cause of chronic back pain, particularly in older adults. Augmentation is currently performed by injecting a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) slurry of polymer, monomer, and initiator mixed with barium sulfate (BaSO) into the vertebrae, which then polymerizes in vivo. Herein, a solvent-free polymer system using poly(allyl glycidyl ether succinate) (PAGES) is developed for vertebral augmentation. PAGES crosslinks in situ through thiol-ene click chemistry with a cure time at 37 °C ranging from 17 to 53 min based on degree of polymerization and crosslinker concentration. The addition of SrCO increased the ultimate compressive strength (σ) of the PAGES composite to 4.4 ± 0.4 MPa. Furthermore, SrCO increases osteoblast proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells seeded onto the surface of PAGES composite. Finally, the compressive strength of fractured vertebrae is increased in an ex vivo surrogate rabbit model when filled with injected PAGES composite, demonstrating its potential as a bone augmentation material.
椎体压缩性骨折是慢性背痛的主要原因,在老年人中尤为常见。目前,椎体强化是通过将聚合物、单体、引发剂与硫酸钡(BaSO)混合而成的聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯(PMMA)浆液注入椎骨来实现的,该浆液随后在体内聚合。在此,开发了一种使用聚(烯丙基缩水甘油醚琥珀酸酯)(PAGES)的无溶剂聚合物体系用于椎体强化。PAGES通过硫醇-烯点击化学原位交联,在37℃下的固化时间根据聚合度和交联剂浓度在17至53分钟之间。添加SrCO₃可将PAGES复合材料的极限抗压强度(σ)提高到4.4±0.4MPa。此外,SrCO₃可促进接种在PAGES复合材料表面的间充质干细胞的成骨细胞增殖和分化。最后,在体外替代兔模型中,注入PAGES复合材料后,骨折椎骨的抗压强度增加,证明了其作为骨强化材料的潜力。