PULLMAN, Wash. - An extract of turmeric and ginger helps bone implants bond strongly while killing bacteria and cancer cells, according to new research from Washington State University with implications for millions of patients with joint replacements and bone cancer.
In early tests, the extract roughly doubled bone bonding within six weeks around the implant site, killed more than 90% of bacteria on implant surfaces, and sharply reduced cancer-causing cells. The findings marry elements of a naturopathic approach drawing on traditional medicine with current medical technologies. Turmeric, a golden-orange spice, and ginger root have been used for food and medicinal purposes in China and India for thousands of years.
"Basically, I say it's combining the best with the latest," said Susmita Bose, the Westinghouse Distinguished Chair Professor in WSU's School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and corresponding author of the paper. "The best part is from the food, and the latest aspect comes from the biomedical device."
The new study, published in the Journal of American Ceramic Society, is the most recent work from Bose and Amit Bandyopadhyay, Boeing Distinguished Professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, demonstrating that compounds from turmeric and ginger can be effective supplements to cutting-edge medical treatment. That work builds upon their earlier research into the use of 3-D printing to produce bone implants, an idea once considered far-fetched that is now a common way to manufacture implants.
In the current study, the researchers targeted a range of medical and health problems associated with bone implants. At a time when roughly 7 million Americans are living with metal hip and knee replacements, a significant portion of the implants must be repaired after they fail to bond strongly with the existing bone or weaken over time. There are also serious problems arising from infections on the metal surfaces of the implants themselves - something that occurs in nearly a third of failed implant cases and is very difficult to treat.
"Often, an infection will require the removal of the implant," Bose said. "There is no other way of fixing bone in patient's body. So, infection-related problems can cause really a huge health issues and financial burden."
The extract also was tested for its effects on cells that cause osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer that is the most prevalent malignancy among pediatric patients and young people. Even following treatment regimens including surgery, chemotherapy and bone implants, some cancer-causing cells remain present.
The research team tested whether an extract of ginger and curcumin, the active agent in turmeric, could be applied with a coating of a titanium implant that would slowly release over time. The extract was tested in vitro and in an experiment on a femur implant in rats.
The extract helped foster a strong bond between the titanium implant and the bone, roughly doubling bone-bonding effects six weeks after surgery. It also killed 92% of bacteria on the surface of the implant and reduced cancer-causing cells around the site by 11-fold compared to untreated controls.
"There are many, many facets of this challenge," Bandyopadhyay said. "We are making an implant that will offer some infection resistance. We are making an implant that can help with bone bonding. This paper is focused on very big problems, and we're telling the world a lot of little things you can do that may add significant benefit to the patient's life, whether it's a hip implant, knee implant, spinal implant, or shoulder implant. That's really the holy grail of it."
Also contributing to the paper were first author Arjak Bhattacharjee, a PhD graduate from WSU who is now an assistant professor at New Mexico Tech; Ujjayan Majumdar, also a WSU PhD graduate; and William Dernell, an emeritus professor of veterinary medicine at WSU.
Bose noted that the effectiveness of ginger and turmeric in reducing infection and cancer-causing cells are just some of the health benefits that the compounds offer. When incorporated into the diet, turmeric and ginger have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, among other benefits.
"I'm very passionate about these natural medicinal compounds, because I feel that they can be used so easily as preventative care in our everyday life," Bose said. "Curcumin, from turmeric, has very good anti-inflammatory effect - and inflammatory bone loss is a big challenge. And ginger may have an anti-cancer effect. We can use these compounds as preventative care."
