Antibiotic-releasing porous polymethylmethacrylate constructs for osseous space maintenance and infection control

The use of a strategy involving space maintenance as the initial step of a two-stage regenerative medicine approach toward reconstructing significant bony or composite tissue defects in the craniofacial area, preserves the void volume of bony defects and could promote soft tissue healing prior to the subsequent definitive repair. One of the complications with a biomaterial-based space maintenance approach is local infection, which requires early, effective eradication, ideally through local antibiotic delivery. The purpose of this study is to develop a dual function implant material for maintaining osseous space and releasing an antibiotic to eliminate local infection in bony defects. Colistin, a polymyxin antibiotic, was chosen specifically to address infections with Acinetobacter species, the most common pathogen associated with combat-related traumatic craniofacial injuries. Porous polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) constructs incorporating poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres were fabricated by mixing a clinically used bone cement formulation of PMMA powder and methylmethacrylate liquid with a carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) hydrogel (40 or 50 wt%) to impart porosity and PLGA microspheres (10 or 15 wt%) loaded with colistin to control drug release. The PMMA/CMC/PLGA construct featured mild setting temperature, controllable surface/bulk porosity by incorporation of the CMC hydrogel, reasonably strong compressive properties, and continuous drug release over a period of 5 weeks with total drug release of 68.1–88.3%, depending on the weight percentage of CMC and PLGA incorporation. The concentration of released colistin was well above its reported minimum inhibitory concentration against susceptible species for 5 weeks. This study provides information on the composition parameters that enable viable porosity characteristics/drug release kinetics of the PMMA/CMC/PLGA construct for the initial space maintenance as part of a two-stage regenerative medicine approach.