Effect of polymerization reaction inhibitor on mechanical properties and surface reactivity of bioactive bone cement

We introduced an inhibitor to the polymerization reaction of bioactive bone cement (AWC) consisting of MgO-CaO-SiO2-P2O5-CaF2 apatite and wollastonite containing glass-ceramic powder and bisphenol-alpha-glycidyl methacrylate based resin, together with an increased amount of accelerator but without any prolongation of its setting time in order to improve the degree of polymerization and decrease the amount of incompletely polymerized monomers on the cement surface. A comparison was made between the AWC containing the inhibitor [AWC(I+)] and the AWC without it [AWC(I-)] with regard to setting parameters, mechanical properties, and surface reactivity in vitro and in vivo. The proportion of glass-ceramic powder added to the AWC was 70% (w/w). The total amount of heat generation and the peak temperature of the AWC(I+) during polymerization were slightly greater than those of the AWC(I-). The mechanical strength of AWC(I+) was higher than that of the AWC(I-) under wet conditions. In simulated body fluid, the width of the Ca-P rich layer on the surface of the AWC(I+) was less than that on the AWC(I-) after 28 days of immersion, although the rate of apatite formation on the top surface of the AWC(I+) was almost identical to that on the AWC(I-) surface. Histological examination using rat tibiae up to 26 weeks revealed that the bioactivity of the AWC(I+) was equivalent to that of the AWC(I-). Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis demonstrated that the Ca-P rich layer in the AWC(I+) was significantly narrower than that in the AWC(I-) at the same time points. These results indicate that introduction of the inhibitor improved the mechanical properties of the AWC and made the Ca-P rich layer narrower, but it had no adverse effect on bioactivity.