Platelet activation after in vitro contact with seven acrylic bone cements

Seven acrylic bone cements were evaluated: Cemex Rx(R) (Tecres S.p.a., Italy), Cemex Isoplastic(R) (Tecres S.p.a., Italy), Zimmer Low Viscosity Cement (LN.C.(R), Zimmer, IN, USA), Zimmer(R) bone cement - dough type (Zimmer, IN, USA), CMW 3(R) (DePuy International Ltd., UK), Cerim. LT(R) (Cremascoli S.r.l., Italy), and Palacos(R) R (Merck, Wehreim, Germany). The cements after polymerization were put in contact in vitro with platelet-rich plasma. Plasma in contact only with siliconated glass was used as the negative control. After contact, platelet number, beta-thromboglobulin (beta-TG), and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) were determined. The Wilcoxon signed rank test showed Palacos(R) R and L.V.C.(R) induced a significant decrease of platelet number compared with the negative control. All cements determined a significant increase in beta-TG. CMW 3(R), Palacos(R), L.V.C.(R), and Zimmer dough type determined a significant increase in TGF-beta1 compared with the negative control.