Properties and osteoblast cytocompatibility of self-curing acrylic cements modified by glass fillers

Materials filled with a silicate glass (MSi) and a borate glass (MB) were developed and compared in terms of their in vitro behavior. The effect of filler composition and concentration (0, 30, 40 and 50 wt%) on the curing parameters, residual monomer, water uptake, weight loss, bioactivity, mechanical properties (bending and compression) and osteoblast cytocompatibility was evaluated. The addition of bioactive glass filler significantly improved the cements curing parameters and the mechanical properties. The most relevant results were obtained for the lower filler concentration (30 t%) a maximum flexural strength of 40.4 Pa for MB3 and a maximum compressive strength of 95.7 MPa for MSi3. In vitro bioactivity in acellular media was enhanced by the higher glass contents in the cements. Regarding the biological assessment, the incorporation of the silicate glass significantly improved osteoblast cytocompatibility, whereas the presence of the borate glass resulted in a poor cell response. Nevertheless it was shown that the surviving cells on the MB surface were in a more differentiated stage compared to those growing over non-filled poly(methyl methacrylate). Results suggest that the developed formulations offer a high range of properties that might be interesting for their use as self-curing cements.