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Because of their excellent physical properties nonresorbable thermoplastic polymers have become more important for the field of reconstructive surgery. Aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of laser sintered polyetheretherketone (PEEK) with incorporated osteoconductive and bioactive bone substitution materials on osteoblasts in vitro. Human osteoblasts (hFOB 1.19) were seeded onto laser sintered PEEK samples containing nano-sized carbon black, beta-tricalciumphosphate (beta-TCP), and bioactive glass 45S5. Osteoblasts were investigated for cell viability, cell proliferation and cell morphology. A constant proliferation of osteoblasts could be observed on all samples with the highest values for bioactive glass containing samples at day 7 (OD 1.76 +/- 0.22) and day 14 (OD 3.75 +/- 0.31) and lowest values for beta-TCP containing probes throughout the study compared with the PEEK pure control group. Highest cell viability was observed for Bioglass containing probes (95.5 +/- 3.32)% whereas osteoblasts seeded on beta-TCP containing probes showed reduced viability (84.4 +/- 4.32)%. Laser sintered PEEK implants seem to be attractive candidates for use as bone substitutes for reconstructive surgery because of their biocompatibility, individual shape, and the possibility of compounding bioinert polymer powder with osteoconductive and bioactive materials which might benefit bone formation in vivo.

SummaryNon-resorbable thermoplastic polymers have become more important for reconstructive surgery due to their excellent chemical and physical properties. Polyetheretherketone-b-tricalcium phosphate (bTCP-PEEK) composites were developed as alternative materials for load-bearing applications. This study presents the effect of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) specimens incorporated with 5, 10, 20 and 40 wt% b-tricalcium phosphate (bTCP) and processed by injection molding on cultivated osteoblast cells. Normal human osteoblast (NHOst) cells were seeded onto polymer discs to evaluate cell viability and proliferation after 24, 72 and 120 h of cultivation by employing the WST-1 assay. Standard tissue culture plastic was used as a control. The osteoblast cells were found to be viable in all PEEK groups, while the cell proliferation was progressively inhibited due to the incorporated b-tricalcium phosphate. bTCP-PEEK showed concentration independent decrease of cell proliferation compared to the unfilled PEEK and the control group. In summary, this study confirms the non-toxic nature of pure PEEK, whereas this could not definitely be verified for bTCP-PEEK as a composite material in chosen concentrations of b-tricalcium phosphate in vitro.

Summary: The following investigation focuses on polyetheretherketone (PEEK) for bone substitutes intended for maxillofacial surgery. Different three‐dimensional discs with a diameter of 12 mm and a height of 3 mm were laser sintered. As filler materials nano‐sized carbon black and β‐tricalciumphosphate powder with an average grain size of 35 µm were used. Human osteoblasts were cultivated on the discs and examined with scanning electron microscopy. Cell vitality and cell growth was investigated. The data shows that PEEK surfaces does not suppress osteoblast proliferation.

The aim of this study was to produce an individually shaped medical implant from a 3D database and to evaluate the biological behavior of a laser sintered poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) implant with incorporated osteoconductive bone materials in porcine bone defects. Laser sintered PEEK samples containing ß-tricalciumphosphate (ß-TCP) were implanted into critical size defects in the frontal skull of ten pigs. Compression moulded pure PEEK was used as a reference material. The bone-implant interface was histomorphometrically analysed after 6, 12, and 24 weeks. Histomorphometrical evaluations after 24 weeks revealed that the superficially located ß-TCP was in contact with the surrounding bone, whereas the other groups were fibrous encapsulated.