Effect of squalene absorption on oxidative stability of highly crosslinked UHMWPE stabilized with natural polyphenols
writer：Jie Shen, Xincai Liu, Jun Fu*
keywords：UHMWPE; lipid; oxidation; polyphenol; irradiation
source：期刊
specific source：Polymer Degradation and Stability, 2014, 110, 113-120.
Issue time：2014年
The uptake of synovial lipids into ultra high
molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been recently related with the in vivo and ex vivo oxidation of irradiated and remelted UHMWPE. Natural
polyphenols have been demonstrated effective in protecting highly crosslinked
UHMWPE from oxidation. This manuscript aims to investigate how squalene as a
model unsaturated lipid affects the oxidative stability of polyphenol-stabilized highly crosslinked UHMWPE. The
irradiated UHMWPE showed less squalene uptake and diffusion in comparison to
the un-irradiated UHMWPE due to the crosslinked structures in the former. Upon
accelerated aging at 70 °C and 5 atm O2 for different durations, the presence of squalene
significantly accelerated the initiation, development and propagation of
oxidation for the virgin and irradiated UHMWPE. The presence of antioxidants
including natural polyphenols effectively
prosponded and reduced oxidation of the squalene-doped irradiated UHMWPEs. The
oxidation levels and depth of irradiated antioxidant/UHMWPE blends were much
less than those for the irradiated UHMWPE. It is concluded that the natural
polyphenols are effective in prohibiting oxidation related to the presence of
squalene. This finding may be of clinical relevance in terms of stabilization
of irradiated UHMWPE against synovial lipids-related oxidation.