Oxidatively degradable poly(thioketal urethane)/ceramic composite bone cements with bone-like strength

Synthetic bone cements are commonly used in orthopaedic procedures to aid in bone regeneration following trauma or disease. Polymeric cements like PMMA provide the mechanical strength necessary for orthopaedic applications, but they are not resorbable and do not integrate with host bone. Ceramic cements have a chemical composition similar to that of bone, but their brittle mechanical properties limit their use in weight-bearing applications. In this study, we designed oxidatively degradable, polymeric bone cements with mechanical properties suitable for bone tissue engineering applications. We synthesized a novel thioketal (TK) diol, which was crosslinked with a lysine triisocyanate (LTI) prepolymer to create hydrolytically stable poly(thioketal urethane)s (PTKUR) that degrade in the oxidative environment associated with bone defects. PTKUR films were hydrolytically stable for up to 6 months, but degraded rapidly (