5 research outputs found
The effect of N-acetylcysteine on mechanical fatigue resistance of antibiotic-loaded bone cement
Abstract Background This biomechanical study evaluates the effect of N-acetylcysteine alone and in combination with the most commonly used antibiotic-loaded bone cement mixtures. Methods We mixed eight bone cement mixture groups including combinations of N-acetylcysteine, gentamicin, teicoplanin, and vancomycin and applied a four-point bending test individually to each sample on days 1 and 15 using an MTS Acumen test device. Results The result was less than 50 MPaâthe limit declared by the ISO (International Standards Organization)âin only the âgentamicin + bone cement + N-acetylcysteineâ group. Mechanical fatigue resistance of the bone cement decreased significantly with the addition of N-acetylcysteine both on day 1 and day 15 (pâ<â 0.001). With the addition of N-acetylcysteine into the âgentamicin + bone cementâ and âvancomycin + bone cementâ mixtures, a significant decrease in mechanical fatigue resistance was observed both on day 1 and day 15 (pâ<â 0.001). In contrast, with the addition of N-acetylcysteine into the âteicoplanin + bone cementâ mixture, no significant difference in mechanical fatigue resistance was observed on days 1 and 15 (pâ=â0.093, pâ=â0.356). Conclusion Preliminary results indicate that adding N-acetylcysteine to teicoplanin-loaded bone cement does not significantly affect the cementâs mechanical resistance, potentially leading to a new avenue for preventing and treating peri-prosthetic joint infection. N-acetylcysteine may, therefore, be considered as an alternative agent to be added to antibiotic-loaded bone cement mixtures used in the prevention of peri-prosthetic joint infection