[Effect of corundum-vancomycin composite on soft tissue reaction]. / Wplyw kompozytu korundowego z Wankomycyna na odczyn tkanek miekkich.

The ceramics on the basis of corundum is used for implantation in the form of porous and solid materials. The solid form was used to produce tissue endoprosthesis while porous form is mainly used to fill in the bone defects. The corundum ceramics are also known to be used as coatings for implants in orthopedics and dentistry. On the other hand there is still a need to find out the new way of treatment of the chronic bone infection, during which the traditional way of antibiotics therapy is no more effective. One of the possibly solution is to use the different biomaterials as drug carriers and in the bone surgery one of the best are porous corundum implants, being themselves of high biocompatibility, and additionally containing Vancomycin. The main target of the investigation presented in this paper was the comparative assessment of the corundum ceramics and its composite containing Vancomycin after implantation into back muscle of the total of 15 rats. During the post mortem macroscopic assessment in the tissues which surrounded the implants there were no any inflammatory neither pathological changes observed. In the microscopic findings, in early periods, the observed inflammatory tissue reaction for implants with vancomycin was significantly greater what could be explained by the high concentration of the antibiotic in the given material. On the basis of the results of macroscopic and microscopic findings we can state that the composite material of corundum ceramic containing vancomycin is of high compatibility and could be regarded as the good drug carrier.

[The bone reaction to the implantation of the corundum-vancomycin composite]. / Reakcja tkanki kostnej po implantacji ceramiki korundowej z Wankomycyna.

Polymethacrylate methylene (PMMA) used as the carrier for antibiotic gentamycin (Septopal) shows today very limited effectiveness. Only 24% of the staphylococcus strains is still susceptible for it. In 1982 this factor was as high as 97%! Because of the growing resistance of different strains of staphylococcus, enterococcus and G(-) bacillus for antibiotics in present use, came into being the necessity for evaluation of the state-of-the-art antibiotic carrier of the new generation, which should be effective to destroy the resistant strains of bacteria. The porous corundum ceramics proved to be good material for this purpose, specially in use for bone surgery. During the laboratory tests it was confirmed that corundum ceramics could be soaked with the different antibiotics of the new generations. The bacteriological tests proved that corundum ceramics soaked with the Vancomycin show the highest possibly antibacterial activity. On the basis of those results we undertook the implantation test on animals. The implantation was carried out on 10 rabbits in which the samples of tested ceramic with Vancomycin were implanted into femoral bone. The investigation periods were set up for 1, 3, 6 and 9 months. On the basis of received results of macroscopic, microscopic and radiological findings we can stated that corundum ceramic with Vancomycin can be used in the treatment of bone infections.