title: Relating nickel-induced tissue inflammation to nickel release in vivo.
abstract: Nickel has a number of adverse biological effects that have made the use of nickel in biomedical implants controversial. Yet information about the distribution of nickel in tissues around nickel-containing implants is scarce. The purpose of the current study was to use a laser ablation technique, combined with inductively coupled mass spectroscopy, to assess the spatial distribution of nickel around nickel-containing implants in vivo. Polyethylene, pure nickel wire, or a nickel-containing alloy (Ni-Cr) were implanted subcutaneously into rats for 7 days. The tissues were analyzed for Ni content and inflammation at 1-mm intervals up to 5 mm away from the implants. The sham surgery sites and the polyethylene caused mild to moderate inflammation 1-2 mm from the implant site with no detectable nickel in the tissue. The nickel wire caused severe inflammation up to 5 mm away from the implant site with necrosis for 1 mm around the implant. Nickel concentrations reached 48 microg/g near the implants, falling exponentially to undetectable levels at 3-4 mm from the implants. The Ni-Cr wire caused inflammation equivalent to polyethylene, with less than 4 microg/g of nickel present in the tissue for 1-2 mm around the implants. The current study showed that the laser-ablation technique was well suited for the analysis of soft tissues for metal-ion content, and that the nickel distribution in tissues correlated well with overt tissue inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Rehabilitation, Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry, Augusta, Georgia 30912-1260, USA. watahaj@mail.mcg.edu
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wataha
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: O'Dell
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghazi
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Whitford
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Lockwood
mesh_terms: D000497:Alloys / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002857:Chromium / Q000378:metabolism; D002858:Chromium Alloys / Q000378:metabolism; D003722:Dental Alloys / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D007249:Inflammation / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D007834:Lasers; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008422:Materials Testing; D009532:Nickel / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020959:Polyethylene / Q000378:metabolism; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys; D002858:Chromium Alloys; D003722:Dental Alloys; D002857:Chromium; C036884:Rexillium III; D009532:Nickel; D020959:Polyethylene