Alendronate in bone cement: fatigue life degraded by liquid, not by powder

Bisphosphonates have the potential to reduce osteolysis, a phenomenon that has been postulated to play a key role in aseptic loosening of total joint replacements. Bisphosphonates may contribute to the in vivo longevity of total joint replacements. Some authors have suggested there are decreases in flexural strength and flexural modulus of the cured cement when a liquid form of disodium pamidronate is added to a commercially available acrylic bone cement (Palacos R). We proposed that it is comparatively easier to blend a bisphosphonate in powder form into an acrylic bone cement than it is when the drug is in liquid form; and that the cement's fatigue life is decreased when the bisphosphonate is added in liquid rather than in solid form. The bisphosphonate and bone cement used were alendronate sodium and Cemex XL, respectively. The fatigue tests were done using phosphate buffered saline solution at 37 degrees +/- 1 degrees C. The data supported both hypotheses. Our findings should guide orthopaedic surgeons when using bisphosphonate-impregnated acrylic bone cements in total joint replacements. Bisphosphonates are endogenous pyrophosphate analogs in which a carbon atom replaces the central oxygen atom. These therapeutic agents may be classified into nitrogen and non-nitrogen containing types. Some examples are alendronate, pamidronate, ibandronate, risedronate, etidronate, clodronate, and zoledronate. There are many targets and mechanisms of action of this family of drugs, therefore making them efficacious against diverse clinical conditions such as osteoporosis, periprosthetic bone loss subsequent to total joint replacement, tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis and angiogenesis, Charcot neuroarthropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and spondyloarthropathies, and arterial calcification. It has been proposed that some bisphosphonates are effective against the mechanisms that have been suggested as being implicated in aseptic loosening of total joint replacements, these being osteoclast-mediated bone resorption and wear particle-induced osteolysis. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials showed that alendronate and pamidronate had beneficial effects maintaining periprosthetic bone for as much as 1 year after a total joint replacement.