Date of Defense
8-5-2025 1:00 PM
Location
F1,2126
Document Type
Thesis Defense
Degree Name
Master of Science in Chemistry
College
College of Science
Department
Chemistry
First Advisor
Dr. Nayla Munawar
Keywords
Levan, gypsum, bone cement, biodegradable materials, bioactivity, mechanical properties, orthopedic applications.
Abstract
Orthopedic surgery has to contend with a myriad of issues with bones, injuries such as fractures as well as chronic ailments, like osteoporosis. There is a widespread understanding and execution of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement and calcium phosphate cements (CPCs), however their drawbacks like being non-biodegradable, generating heat, low bioactivity, and other issues reserve the development of better substitutes This study intends to develop and incorporate microbial levan squaring as a β-2,6-linked fructan polysaccharide into gypsum-based formulations of bone cements to make them biodegradable, bioactive and amplify their mechanical properties. The research aims to address the performance drawbacks of traditional gypsum cements which include high brittleness and quick degradation making them unsuitable for load bearing uses. For these goals, levan was synthesized using MRS4-4B strain and incorporated into gypsum at different rates of 0.5%, 1%, 2%, and 3%. The resulting levan-gypsum composites were assessed for mechanical properties along with degradation behavior in simulated body fluid (SBF) and antimicrobial activity using the disc diffusion method. The findings from these experiments suggest that incorporating levan into the bone cement composition can increase the mechanical strength of the cement while also improving the cement's degradation profile. These results warrant further testing to support the hypothesis posing that levan increases the biological compatibility of gypsum, and in fact displays weak antimicrobial benefits from the perspective of bioactivity. This study contributes to the field by using microbial levan to modify gypsum-based bone cements for the first time. The composite overcomes current shortfalls as well as enhances infection control and osteoconductive activity. The study addresses a significant deficiency in existing bone cements by proposing a multifunctional, biodegradable bone cement intended for orthopedics and bone tissue engineering.
PREPARATION, AND CHARACTERIZATION OF GYPSUM-LEVAN COMPOSITES AND EVALUATION OF THEIR PRELIMINARY IN VITRO AND ANTIBACTERIAL CHARACTERISTICS
F1,2126
Orthopedic surgery has to contend with a myriad of issues with bones, injuries such as fractures as well as chronic ailments, like osteoporosis. There is a widespread understanding and execution of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement and calcium phosphate cements (CPCs), however their drawbacks like being non-biodegradable, generating heat, low bioactivity, and other issues reserve the development of better substitutes This study intends to develop and incorporate microbial levan squaring as a β-2,6-linked fructan polysaccharide into gypsum-based formulations of bone cements to make them biodegradable, bioactive and amplify their mechanical properties. The research aims to address the performance drawbacks of traditional gypsum cements which include high brittleness and quick degradation making them unsuitable for load bearing uses. For these goals, levan was synthesized using MRS4-4B strain and incorporated into gypsum at different rates of 0.5%, 1%, 2%, and 3%. The resulting levan-gypsum composites were assessed for mechanical properties along with degradation behavior in simulated body fluid (SBF) and antimicrobial activity using the disc diffusion method. The findings from these experiments suggest that incorporating levan into the bone cement composition can increase the mechanical strength of the cement while also improving the cement's degradation profile. These results warrant further testing to support the hypothesis posing that levan increases the biological compatibility of gypsum, and in fact displays weak antimicrobial benefits from the perspective of bioactivity. This study contributes to the field by using microbial levan to modify gypsum-based bone cements for the first time. The composite overcomes current shortfalls as well as enhances infection control and osteoconductive activity. The study addresses a significant deficiency in existing bone cements by proposing a multifunctional, biodegradable bone cement intended for orthopedics and bone tissue engineering.
