In vitro cytokine production by mononuclear cells exposed to bone cement extracts

The authors evaluated the ability of bone cement to modify the profile of p ro-inflammatory cytokines secreted by the immune cells. Peripheral blood mo nonuclear cells (PBMC) collected from healthy individuals were cultured wit h cement extracts and tested to assess the release of IL-1 beta, TNF alpha, GM-CSF and IL-6 in both unstimulated and PHA-stimulated PBMC. The cytokine release of unstimulated PBMC was very poor, and in particular the IL-1 bet a was undetectable: the addition of cement extract increased both TNF alpha and GM-CSF release and decreased IL-6, sometimes significantly. The most r ecurrent observation in PHA-stimulated PBMCs exposed to bone cement extract was the increase in both IL-1 beta and IL-6 release, while both the mean c oncentration and the index of release of TNF alpha and GM-CSF were changeab le. In conclusion our results showed that leachable components of some bone cements can induce in vitro the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines whic h are known to be involved in the bone resorption associated with aseptic l oosening of hip prostheses. These findings allowed us to identify materials endowed with the highest inflammatory power. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd . All rights reserved.