Impregnation of Ultrahigh-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene with Amoxicillin in Subcritical Freon R22 Media

Abstract

The method of impregnation of ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) with amoxicillin in subcritical Freon R22 media is developed. For the first time, the possibility of polymer impregnation with a polar substance (a standard antibiotic amoxicillin) in the absence of cosolvents is shown. Cosolvents increase the polarity of the medium and removal of them from the polymer matrix is usually a serious problem. Amoxicillin desorption curves from the impregnated UHMWPE samples are obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Polymeric samples impregnated with amoxicillin are active against gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms S. aureus, S. epidermidis, E. faecalis, B. subtilis, and E. coli, allowing them to be considered as real implant models for replacement of bone tissue.