Comparison of a quasi-dynamic and a static extraction method for the cytotoxic evaluation of acrylic bone cements

In this study, two different extraction approaches were compared in order to evaluate the cytotoxicity of 7 different acrylic bone cements, mainly developed for spinal applications, to osteoblastic cells. Firstly, a static extraction was carried out continuously over 24h, a method widely used in literature. Secondly, a quasi-dynamic extraction method that allowed the investigation of time-dependent cytotoxic effects of curing acrylic bone cements to cells was introduced. In both cases the extraction of the cements was started at a very early stage of the polymerization process to simulate the conditions during clinical application. Data obtained by the quasi-dynamic extraction method suggest that the cytotoxicity of the setting materials mainly originates from the release of toxic components during the first hour of the polymerization reaction. It was also shown that a static extraction over 24h generally represents this initial stage of the curing process. Furthermore, compared to the static extraction, time-dependent cytotoxicity profiles could be detected using the quasi-dynamic extraction method. Specifically, a modification of commercial Osteopal®V with castor oil as a plasticizer as well as a customized cement formulation showed clear differences in cytotoxic behavior compared to the other materials during the setting process. In addition, it was observed that unreacted monomer released from the castor oil modified cement was not the main component affecting the toxicity of the material extracts. The quasi-dynamic extraction method is a useful tool to get deeper insight into the cytotoxic potential of curing acrylic bone cements under relevant biological conditions, allowing systematic optimization of materials under development.