Analysis of released products from oxidized ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene incubated with hydrogen peroxide and salt solutions

The wear of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) implants generates polymeric and metallic particulate, which can be phagocytosed by human macrophages. The generation of these UHMWPE particles has been attributed to wear mechanisms and oxidation of the material. Many cell/particle studies have focused specifically on investigating particles of virgin materials themselves (i.e. virgin UHMWPE), while in fact, there is a strong likelihood that the oxidation processes encountered by the materials will yield particles with very different surface chemistries. Therefore, it is conceivable that chemical changes in the material would lead to altered cellular responses, as measured in the various cell study models. This paper has focused on the characterization of UHMWPE particulates that have been exposed to various conditions simulating processing steps and some of the oxidative and hydrolytic agents related to inflammatory responses. These include γ-irradiation, thermal treatment and chemical oxidation by H2O2 and saline solutions. Oxidation of the particles was measured using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Degradation products were isolated from the incubation solutions using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). UHMWPE particulates underwent extensive oxidation after γ-irradiation and thermal treatments. There were marked differences following treatments of film samples taken from bar stock and the virgin particle samples. Polymer-related products, containing alkenes, alkanes and hydroxyl groups, were found in the incubation solutions. The study concluded that future work must consider both the particulates’ surface chemistry and the possibility of soluble degradation products when assessing UHMWPE/cellular interactions.