The antioxidant and non-antioxidant contributions of vitamin E in vitamin E blended ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene for total knee replacement

Vitamin E (VE) blended ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been developed in Japan as a material for use in total knee replacement (TKR). Various results have demonstrated that VE blended UHMWPE reduces the incidence of delamination failure and lowers the amount of wear produced during knee simulator testing. It was also found that wear particles from VE blended UHMWPE elicited a reduced biological response compared to conventional UHMWPE. A great deal of research concerning vitamin E (VE) stabilized ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has focused on VE's effects as an antioxidant and its ability to prevent the oxidative degradation of UHMWPE chains. However, other chemical and mechanical changes have been observed in VE blended UHMWPE that are unrelated to the oxidative protection that VE provides. This paper provides a general review of VE blended UHMWPE, with a particular focus on the non-antioxidant effects of VE. The potential application of VE blended UHMWPE in total hip replacement (THR), along with the differences in loading conditions between the knee and the hip are also discussed.

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► Non-antioxidant effects of vitamin E (VE) influence the performance of UHMWPE.
► VE has been shown to increase UHMWPE chain mobility during unidirectional strain.
► Pressure induced leaching of VE shown to influence friction coefficient of UHMWPE.