Antibacterial bone cement modified by long-chain nitrofuran methacrylate using liquid-phase modification strategy

A novel acrylic monomer containing a nitrofuran motif, referred to as long-chain nitrofuran methacrylate (LNFMA), is reported. In comparison to the previously reported nitrofuran methacrylate (NFMA), LNFMA has a longer side chain, and when incorporated into bone cement, the resulting LNFMA bone cement exhibits improved mechanical strength. At the same concentration, NFMA-5% cement has only 21.6 ± 1.3 MPa, while LNFMA-5% cement has a compressive strength of 42.64 ± 0.94 MPa. LNFMA bone cements exhibit antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus , with LNFMA-30% cement reaching 57.38% ± 5.53%. Moreover, LNFMA cement demonstrates excellent biocompatibility both in vitro and in vivo . The results showed that LNFMA monomer had optimized mechanical strength compared with previously reported NFMA monomers, and LNFMA bone cement had good antibacterial activity and biocompatibility.