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Author Bardají Sierra, Sara |
Abstract Increase life expectancy leads to the development of age-related diseases. One of them is osteoporosis, a progressive skeletal disease, which decreases the density of the bone mass and weakens the skeletal vertebral body of the patient. One of the most direct and severe consequences is the formation of vertebral compression fractures. One of the minimally invasive techniques used to treat this type of fractures is named vertebroplasty. This technique has given very encouraging results, since it has shown that it improves the pain caused by the fracture, and it is able to strengthen the fractured bone. However, the materials used in this technique involve problems for the patient such as pain and necrosis a lot of others. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to develop a bone cement that can be injected by vertebroplasty, and that will regenerate fractured vertebral bone. In addition, the product must be biodegradable, because as the healing process progresses, the material reduces its stiffness as part of the load is supported by the regenerated tissue. To develop this new bone cement, a copolymer combined with hydroxyapatite, zirconia and platelet-rich plasma has been selected. It has been shown to be easily injectable, and once injected, it is able to solidify quickly, without suffering cement leakage or creates necrosis in adjacent bone tissues. It also has a similar density to bone which prevents it from generating tensions that can lead to adjacent vertebrae fractures. In addition, it has an excellent resistance to compression and after the compression test, it does not present fractures and it is able of filling the entire defect created by the fracture. Moreover, it has been shown that the addition of platelet-rich plasma gives to the material osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties. Therefore, PRP makes it bioactive. So, it is able to differentiate bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to osteoblasts, and these osteoblasts differentiate them to osteocytes, generating bone matrix. Finally, the biocompatibility and biodegradability of the bone cement has been verified by rat calvaria in vivo model. But the restoration of the bone has not been observed due to the limitations presented by this model. Therefore, the use of a sheep vertebra in vivo model is proposed, which is more representative of what could happen in a real patient. |
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Director Borrós i Gómez, Salvador |
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Department IQS SE - Bioenginyeria |
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Date of defense 2019-01-25
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