Authors
D. Neut, R.J.B. Dijkstra, J.I. Thompson, C. Kavanagh, H.C. van der Mei and H.J. Busscher
Abstract
A degradable, poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), gentamicin-loaded prophylactic coating for hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated cementless hip prostheses is developed with similar antibacterial efficacy as offered by gentamicinloaded cements for fixing traditional, cemented prostheses in bone. We describe the development pathway, from in vitro investigation of antibiotic release and antibacterial properties of this PLGA-gentamicin-HA-coating in different in vitro models to an evaluation of its efficacy in preventing implant-related infection in rabbits. Bone in-growth in the absence and presence of the coating was investigated in a canine model. The PLGAgentamicin-HA-coating showed high-burst release, with antibacterial efficacy in agar-assays completely disappearing after 4 days, minimising risk of inducing antibiotic resistance. Gentamicin-sensitive and gentamicinresistant staphylococci were killed by the antibiotic-loaded
coating, in a simulated prosthesis-related interfacial gap. PLGA-gentamicin-HA-coatings prevented growth of bioluminescent staphylococci around a miniature-stem mounted in bacterially contaminated agar, as observed using bio-optical imaging. PLGA-gentamicin-HA-coated pins inserted in bacterially contaminated medullary canals in rabbits caused a statistically significant reduction in infection rates compared to HA-coated pins without gentamicin. Bone ingrowth to PLGA-gentamicin-HA coated pins, in condylar defects of Beagle dogs was not
impaired by the presence of the degradable, gentamicin loaded coating. In conclusion, the PLGA-gentamicin HA-coating constitutes an effective strategy for infection prophylaxis in cementless prostheses.
Link to Article
http://www.ecmjournal.org/journal/papers/vol029/pdf/v029a04.pdf