[Acute tissue toxicity of PMMA bone cements]

Local toxic reactions are one possible reason for fibrous tissue formation at the interface between bone and PMMA bone cement. Most of the numerous in vitro studies have shown severe cytotoxicity of bone cements and their components. However, in vivo investigations of the local tissue toxicity of bone cements have so far seldom been performed.

The in-vivo hens-egg chorion-allantoic-membrane test (HET-CAM), a well established replacement procedure for experiments with higher vertebrates, is used for the testing of potentially toxic solid and fluid substances. It was performed with PMMA bone cements, their components and their monomer extracts to measure in vivo biocompatibility.

We showed that local toxic tissue reactions occurred, especially at the beginning of the processing phase of PMMA bone cements. We also proved that certain components of PMMA bone cements have poor tissue compatibility and sometimes cause severe local tissue changes.

In the development of PMMA bone cements and when drafting the recommendations for their use, attention should be paid to their biocompatibility as well as their mechanical properties.