Hydrated Phospholipid Polymer Gel-Like Layer for Increased Durability of Orthopedic Bearing Surfaces

Recently, traditional strategies for manipulating orthopedic bearing substrates have attempted to improve their wear resistance by adjusting polyethylene substrate through cross-linking and antioxidant blending. However, further research is required on the substrate, as well as the surface focused on the structure and role of articular cartilage. We therefore develop an orthopedic bearing surface comprising a nanometer-scale hydrated gel-like layer by grafting highly hydrophilic poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine), with the aim of mimicking the lubrication mechanism of articular cartilage, and investigate its surface characteristics, bulk characteristics, and behavior under load bearing conditions upon accelerated aging. Neither the hydrophilicity nor lubricity of the gel-like surface was influenced by accelerated aging; instead, high stability was revealed, even under strong oxidation conditions. The characteristics of the hydrated gel-like surface potentiated the wear resistance of the cross-linked polyethylene liner, irrespective of accelerated aging. These results suggest that the hydrated gel-like surface enhances the longevity of cross-linked polyethylene bearings even under load-bearing conditions. Furthermore, the inflection point on the time series of wear can be a suitable indicator of the durability of the life-long protectant. In conclusion, the hydrated gel-like surface can positively increase orthopedic implant durability.