Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Harvard Medical School
Brigham and Women’s/Massachusetts General Hosp.
VA Boston Healthcare System
2.79J/3.96J/BE.441/HST522J
RESPONSE TO PARTICLES
M. Spector, Ph.D.
BIOMATERIALS-TISSUE
INTERACTIONS
Particles
BIOMATERIAL TISSUE
10nm 100nm 1μm 10 μm 100 μm1mm
1 sec 1 day 10 days 100 days
Size Scale
Time Scale
Strength
Modulus of Elasticity
Fracture mechanics
Protein
Adsorption
Cell
Response
Ion
Release
Wear
Metal corrosion
Polymer degradation
BONE
Tissue
Remodeling
Cell-cell
interactions
ECM proteins
Cytokines
Eicosanoids
Enzymes
BIOMATERIALS-TISSUE INTERACTIONS:
Tissue Response to Implant Breakdown
Particles
IMPLANT TISSUE RESPONSE
Degradation
Products/Ions
Fracture
Wear
Metal Corrosion
Polymer
Degradation
Degradation:
Fibrous Tissue
Bone
Fibroblast
Macrophage
Osteoclast
(Cell Contraction?)
LOCAL AND SYSTEMIC RESPONSES
SMALL PARTICLE DISEASE
? Local Component
Osteolysis - particle induced
focal destruction of bone
around the prosthesis
? Systemic Component
Lymphadenopathy
PROGRESSION OF OSTEOLYSIS:
“HYLAMER” CUP
Image removed due to copyright considerations
Why Artificial Joints Fail
Image removed due to copyright considerations
Spice, Byron. “Particle Disease Seen As Plague on Total Joint
Replacement” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
POLYETHYLENE WEAR
PARTICLES
H. McKellop, 1994 Hip Society
The number of particles generated by a hip
prosthesis
7 x 10
11
particles/yr.
700,000 particles/step
NUMBER OF INHALED PARTICLES
Avg. particle burden of urban atmosphere:
10
5
particles/liter
Respired volume in man = 1 liter/min.
Therefore, 10
5
particles are inhaled/min.
10% of the inhaled particles are deposited in the
lungs.
Therefore, 10
4
particles are deposited in the lungs
per min.
5 x 10
9
particles/yr.
Titanium Wear
Debris
Images removed due to
copyright considerations
Co-Cr Particles
UNSTABLE PROSTHESIS
Particles Motion
Bone Resorption
(Osteolysis)
Macrophage
(15-25μm)
IL-1
PGE
2
Enzymes
Chemoattractants
MACROPHAGE RESPONSE
TO MOTION AND PARTICLES
BONE
Osteoclast
precursor cells
Osteoclast
Osteoblasts
Polyethylene
Particles
Images removed due to
copyright considerations
OSTEOLYSIS
Determinants
? Particles < 10 μm
? Movement of the
prosthesis
(i.e., micomotion)
– deformation (strain) of
tissue
ROLE OF MICROMOTION IN
OSTEOLYSIS
? Mechanical perturbation can
provoke macrophages to release
inflammatory agents that stimulate
bone resorption
OSTEOLYSIS:
ROLE OF IMPLANT MOVEMENT
Mechanical perturbation increases release
of PGE
2
by (LPS-stimulated) macrophages
in vitro
? Macrophages on flexible membranes
? Cyclic strains of 4.0 and 7.7%
? Release of PGE
2
was approximately twice
that of the unstretched controls
B.E. Grottkau, et al.
Brigham & Women’s Hospital
THERAPEUTIC STARTEGIES TO
MANAGE SMALL PARTICLE DISEASE
? Inhibitors of inflammatory cytokines and
eicosanoids
– e.g., NSAIDs to reduce PGE
2
? Gene therapy to up-regulate the synthesis
of antagonists of receptors for
inflammatory molecules
– e.g., IL-1 receptor antagonist
? Agents to block osteoclastic bone resorption
UNSTABLE PROSTHESIS
Particles Motion
Bone Resorption
(Osteolysis)
Macrophage
(15-25μm)
IL-1
PGE
2
Enzymes
Chemoattractants
MACROPHAGE RESPONSE
TO PARTICLES AND MOTION
BONE
Osteoclast
precursor cells
Osteoclast
Osteoblasts
Canine Model for
Prosthesis Loosening
6 mos. continuous
treatment with
Naproxen
Images removed due to
copyright considerations
EFFECT OF NAPROXEN ON PGE
2
LEVELS IN A CANINE MODEL
Naproxen In Vivo PGE
2
Treatment Period Naproxen In Vitro
(Mos.) Without With
0 314±236 177±177
3 112±63 7±6
6 84±51 0
BIOLOGIC RESPONSE TO
PARTICLES
? Systemic response: lymphadenopathy
Drainage of Particles by the Lymphatics
Image removed due to copyright considerations
H. Willert, et al.
SMALL PARTICLE DISEASE:
LYMPHADENOPATHY
? Enlargement of the node
? Particles drained from tissue by the
lymphatic system are phagocytosed by
macrophages in the nodes
– histiocytes derived from cells that line the
sinuses of the node and macrophages derived
from circulating monocytes
? Sinus histiocytosis
? No adverse clinical sequelae yet noted
MIGRATION OF PARTICLES AND
CELLULAR RESPONSES
BLOOD
VESSEL
Macrophage
Histiocyte
Tissue-
Resident,
Tissue-Fixed
Phagocyte
Fusion
Maturation
M-CSF
Monocyte
Migration
Fusion
PROSTHESIS
Particles
>10μm
Multinucleated Foreign Body
Giant Cell
(less active than macrophages)
Bone Resorbing Agents
PGE
2
, IL-1
Micromotion
Particles
<10μm
LYMPHATIC
VESSEL
BONE
RESORPTION
Activation
Particles
Lymph Node
Particles (PE)
from the joint
Lymphadenopathy
Images removed due to copyright considerations
BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO
METAL DEBRIS
? Cell response to metal particles and ions
BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO
METAL DEBRIS
? Immune responses
PATIENT CONCERNS ABOUT
METAL DEBRIS
Am I allergic to my metal implant?
IMMUNE RESPONSE TO METAL
IONS
? "Metal allergy" has been incriminated as
the cause of failure in certain patients.
? However, results obtained to date are not
definitive.
IMMUNE RESPONSE TO METAL IONS
K. Merritt and S.A. Brown (1985)
"The incidence of metal sensitivity in the normal
population is high, with up to 15% of the
population sensitive to nickel and perhaps up to
25% sensitive to at least one of the common
sensitizers Ni, Co, and Cr. The incidence of metal
sensitivity reactions requiring premature removal
of an orthopedic device is probably small (less than
the incidence of infection). Clearly there are
factors not yet understood that caused one patient
but not another to react."
CELL RESPONSE TO METAL
PARTICLES
? Macrophages in vitro
? Particles of Ti alloy not toxic; Co-Cr highly toxic
? Ti induced more release of PGE
2
than Co-Cr
? Exp. to Ti increased the release of PGE
2
, IL-1, TNF,
and IL-6; exp. to Co-Cr decreased release of PGE
2
and IL-6 and had little effect on IL-1 and TNF
? “release of Ti....worse than....Co-Cr”
D.R. Haynes, et al.,
JBJS 75-A: 825 (1993)
CELL RESPONSE TO METAL
PARTICLES
? Bovine articular chondrocytes
? Co was toxic to cells at all conc.
? At high conc. Cr, Ti, and Ti alloy were toxic
? At high conc. all metals decreased enzyme
activity
? PGE
2
increased with conc., except for Ti alloy
W.J. Maloney, et al.,
J. Appl. Biomat. 5: 109 (1994)
BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO
METAL PARTICLES AND IONS
Summary
? Metal particles and ions are released from TJR
prostheses; the amounts can be reduced by careful
design and manufacturing
? Cellular response to metal particles has some of the
same elements as the response to particles of other
materials
? No indication yet that metal particles and ions are
responsible for an unusually adverse response