Analyzing Different Elution Profiles of Echinocandins In Vitro from the Antibiotic-Loaded Bone Cement Comprising Apatite or Polymethylmethacrylate

This study aimed to examine the in vitro elution profiles of echinocandins, micafungin and caspofungin, obtained from antibiotic-loaded bone cement (ALBC) comprising apatite (BIOPEX-R Excellent [BP-EX ®], HOYA Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) or polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). ALBC containing micafungin or caspofungin in BP-EX® or PMMA were submerged in 10 mL/g of sterile phosphate buffer solution (PBS) and placed in an incubator shaker at 37 °C for 7 days. At predetermined time intervals (1, 2, 3, 6, and 7 days), all PBS was removed and replaced with fresh PBS. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to determine the amounts of antifungal compounds present in the collected PBS. The surface structures of ALBC comprising BP-EX ® and PMMA were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The amount of micafungin released from BP-EX® was significantly higher than that from PMMA (p = 0.007). Significantly less amounts of caspofungin than those of micafungin were released (p