Porous-coated titanium implant impregnated with a biodegradable protein delivery system

Tissue ingrowth into porous-coated orthopedic and dental implants is commonly used as a means to achieve long-term fixation of these prostheses. However, the degree of tissue ingrowth is often inadequate and inconsistent. If the pores of these implants are impregnated with a controlled drug release system delivering relevant growth factors, then it might be possible to stimulate more tissue ingrowth. The present study introduces such a system based on biodegradable polymers and investigates its protein release profile and polymer degradation characteristics. Porous coated titanium implants were impregnated with a mixture of a 50%-50% polylactic acid-polyglycolic acid copolymer and a model protein, soybean trypsin inhibitor. Control implants contained only the polymer and no protein. The implants were subjected to hydrolyric degradation in phosphate buffered saline at 37°C for periods of 3, 6, and 11 weeks. The protein release and the mass and molecular weight of the polymer were monitored. The results indicate that the protein is released in three distinct phases and the polymer loses almost all its mass and molecular weight by 11 weeks. There was a significant difference in the polymer degradation characteristics between the control and test implants, which might be the result of some complex polymer-protein interactions.