Preparation of new bio-based antibacterial acrylic bone cement via modification with a biofunctional monomer of nitrofurfuryl methacrylate

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bone cement is a commonly used filling material in orthopedic surgery. Its excellent performance, such as convenient handling and rapid self-hardening features, makes it the most widely used bone cement. With the advancement of the application and research of PMMA bone cement by surgeons, some disadvantages such as non-degradation, non-bioactivity and poor antibacterial activity are gradually exposed. In recent years, several modification strategies have attempted to improve the performance of PMMA bone cement. In this work, we, for the first time, synthesize a green biofunctional antibacterial monomer of nitrofurfuryl methacrylate (NFMA) and then develop new bio-based antibacterial p(NFMA-co-MMA) bone cement via modification with different proportions of NFMA. The purpose of this study was to compare the physicochemical properties, mechanical properties, cytocompatibility and antibacterial activity of the modified bone cement with those of conventional cement. The specific modified samples of p(NFMA-co-MMA) exhibited a lower elastic modulus and suitable compressive strength. The p(NFMA-co-MMA) samples were biologically safe and showed satisfactory cytocompatibility. In particular, NFMA was introduced into the polymer, which significantly enhanced the antibacterial activity.