In vitro aging test for bioactive PMMA-based bone cement using simulated body fluid

PMMA-based bone cement using bioactive sol-gel derived CaO-SiO2 powder in order to induce bioactivity as well as to increase its mechanical property. The novel PMMA-based bone cements formed apatite on their surfaces in Simulated Body Fluid(SBF). In the present study, a change in mechanical property of the cement was evaluated using SBF. Before soaking in SBF, its compressive strength showed 80.6 +/- 2.1 MPa. After soaking in SBF for 2 weeks, 8weeks and 9 weeks, its compressive strength were changed to 83.6 +/- 1.6MPa, 87.3 +/- 2.4MPa and 85.6 +/- 1.8Mpa, respectively. It is clear that from the above result, there is no decrease in its compressive strength within 9 weeks soaking in SBF. That it hardly decreases in compressive strength of 7P3S bone cement in SBF is due to the relative small amount of gel powder or its spherical shape and monosize. Therefore, the newly developed PMMA-based cement can bond to the living bone and also be effectively used as bioactive bone cement without decrease in mechanical property.