Determination of the effect of bone cement (polymethylmetacrylate) on aquatic animals

Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), bone cement, is widely used as a prosthetic base material, known as bone cement, is a biomaterial that is thickened by mixing the powdered polymer and liquid monomer, reaching a temperature of about 60–80° and hardening with an exothermic reaction. Bone cement was originally developed for the fixation of implants to the bone, it is also used to provide a high concentration of antibiotics locally in the treatment of osteomyelitis. Basically, PMMA is a thermoplastic polymer, and it is among the most produced plastic materials in the world, which finds its place in a wide variety of areas in addition to the use of prosthetic materials. In this direction, PMMA is actually among the environmental pollutants as a plastic and the importance given to environmental pollutants has been increasing in recent years. The aim of the present study was to determine the environmental effect of PMMA on aquatic toxicology and the possible negative effects on humans by evaluating DNA/RNA oxidative damage. Experimental groups of zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to PMMA as 1, 10 and 50 mg/L for the planned time intervals as 6, 24, 96 hours and one week. To evaluate the DNA/RNA oxidative damage as 8-hydroxy-2'deoxyguanosine (ng/g tissue), whole body zebra fish was homogenized for DNA isolation, hydrolyzed and damage was measured by LC-MS modified method. DNA damage was statistically significantly increased at low doses of 24 h exposed groups, however no difference was observed for high doses of 96 hours and 1 week groups compared to controls. The gill tissues revealed epithelial hyperplasia and lifting after exposed to 10 and 50 mg/L for 96 h and one week, hydropic degenerations were observed in the liver tissues histologically in same concentrations and durations. The histological damages were more severe at 50 mg/L PMMA exposed group. In conclusion, our results represent alterations related with the duration of exposure and dose. Since it has been determined that acute genotoxic effect causes tissue damage in zebrafish, it is suggested that there is a relationship between environmental pollution and health problems.