Release of gentamicin sulphate from a modified commercial bone cement.: Effect of (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) comonomer and poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) additive on release mechanism and kinetics

The influence of the (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (HEMA) monomer addition as a comonomer to the cement liquid component and of a polymer, poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) to the solid component of a standard CMW-1(R) bone cement on gentamicin sulphate (GS) on its drug release properties have been studied. The addition of HEMA modifies the habit of the delivery curves. The incorporation of PVP into the cement matrix, apparently, did not very much modify the shape of the HEMA modified cement release curves, but led to a remarkable increase of the maximum amount of GS released. This effect was proportional to the PVP concentration incorporated. From the matrix composition and SEM data, a model based on the morphology of the matrix has been proposed. The cumulative amount of GS released by each slab M-t is most adequately fitted and represented by the equation M-t = C + at(1/2) + b[I - exp(-nt)], which corroborates that the release occurs according to the model proposed, by means of three discrete mechanisms, namely: (i) a short-term initial elution due to the imperfections in the poly(methyl methacrylate) covering of the most external GS beads, burst effect by the buffer solution; (ii) followed by a fracture by stress cracking in an active media of the coated GS beads located on the external surface of the matrix where water molecules enter to dissolve GS molecules releasing them into the buffer solution by a diffusion-controlled process; and (iii) a third process in which the buffer solution penetrates into the internal voids and cracks creating a series of channels in a labyrinthic structure, which may facilitate the access of water molecules to the plastic-coated GS beads within the bulk matrix. This third process is enhanced by the incorporation of PVP beads as dissolved molecules within the matrix. This water-soluble additive is leachable, generating a highly porous structure in the cement. This HEMA and PVP modified cement may be used as a drug delivery system to modulate the GS release rate. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.