A laboratory observation of some toxic effects of commercially available implant polyurethanes on HL-60 cancer cells.

We studied the interaction of HL-60 cells with films of commercial polyurethanes (PU). The cast films were dried in an oven at 60 degrees C for forty eight hours, washed in doubly distilled water, and soaked in fresh water for another 48 hours to ensure that all of the leachables including the dimethylacetamide used as casting solvent was removed before they were introduced to the cells. The HL-60 cells were cultured in the RPM1-1640, at 37 degrees C, 100% humidity and 5% CO2. Evaluation of the effects between the cells and the films, was done by counting the live cells using a hemacytometer and a light microscope. Preliminary analysis of our data have shown that while some brands of polyurethane can slow down or suppress the growth of the phagocytic type of cells, others can enhance the cell growth. It was concluded that this observation was new but should be investigated further to better understanding the interactions which may lead to the development of in vitro methods for screening the safety and stability of PU intended for implantation.