title: New bone formation in a true bone ceramic scaffold loaded with desferrioxamine in the treatment of segmental bone defect: a preliminary study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Desferrioxamine (DFO), an iron chelator, can stimulate osteogenesis and angiogenesis by stabilizing hypoxia-inducible factor 1α. We postulate that a bone graft substitute combined with DFO is beneficial to the reconstruction of bone defects.
  
  
  METHODS
  We implanted pure true bone ceramic (TBC) and DFO-loaded TBC (DFO/TBC) scaffolds into 15-mm rabbit radial defects for 8 weeks. The bone segments were examined with X-ray, micro-CT and histology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Radiographs showed that the DFO/TBC scaffold became radiopaque, and the gaps between the scaffold and radial cut ends were often invisible. Variables from micro-CT, including the bone volume fraction (BV/TV), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) and trabecular number (Tb.N), were significantly increased in pure TBC and DFO/TBC scaffolds that had been implanted for 8 weeks compared to unimplanted TBC scaffolds (p values <0.05-0.001). Between the former two groups, BV/TV and Tb.Th were significantly increased in DFO/TBC scaffolds (p < 0.001), but Tb.N did not show significant differences. Histological examinations showed considerably increased new bone and decreased TBC trabecular remnants in DFO/TBC scaffolds compared to pure TBC scaffolds. Many cavities in the new bone area in DFO/TBC scaffolds were occupied by bone marrow elements and blood vessels. Percent of new bone with tetracycline labeling was significantly greater in DFO/TBC scaffolds than in pure TBC scaffolds (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This preliminary study reveals that DFO can effectively induce new bone growing into TBC scaffolds, suggesting that the DFO/TBC composite is a promising bone graft substitute for the treatment of bone defects.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory for Prevention and Treatment of Bone and Joint Diseases with Integrated Chinese-Western Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 197 Ruijin Er Road, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Weibin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Guosong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ruoxian
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Lianfu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Shijing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Qiu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000601:surgery*; D002516:Ceramics; D003676:Deferoxamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D011817:Rabbits; D017262:Siderophores / Q000494:pharmacology*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
chemical_list: D017262:Siderophores; C488542:True Bone Ceramics; D003676:Deferoxamine