In the field of orthopedics, bone cement for implants plays a significant role in filling out the gaps present between implants and bones. However, the most commonly used material for bone cement, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), that is infused with antibiotics to lower the risk of infection, is subjected to the threats of antibiotic resistance, potential carcinogenic effects and reduction of strength in the cement itself.
Recently, a team of scientists led by Jeong Ho Chang at Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology was able to develop PMMA bone cement that is infused with caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE). CAPE is a component of the mixture which honey bees use to fill small gaps in their beehives. This substance has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer effects, and it has been approved by FDA for a variety of applications.
Due to the chemical bonding formed via homogenous loading between PMMA and CAPE, CAPE-PMMA has greater strength than antibiotic-PMMA, which has heterogenous loading. In addition, CAPE-PMMA is found to possess effective resistance against bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, which is found to be methicillin resistance in orthopedic surgery. However, it must be remembered that with antimicrobial implants as of now, a lot of efforts must still be put in to prevent infections. I was interested in this topic since I thought it was a good idea to bring in more natural elements into medical field.
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