title: Anti-infection tissue engineering construct treating osteomyelitis in rabbit tibia.
abstract: Bone defect complicated by infection remains a major challenge in orthopedic surguries, and bone grafting for primary repair often associates with high failure rate. The rapid progress in the research spectrums of tissue-engineered bone and antibiotic delivery systems bring hope to solve this issue. Herein, we evaluated the local anti-infective and osteogenic potential of an injectable anti-infection tissue-engineered construct, which includes a fibrin gel scaffold and vancomycin alginate beads (Vanco-AB) to form composites, in the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis with bone defect in rabbit tibia. The infected bone defect model of rabbit tibia was established. Then, the bone defects in the proximal tibial metaphysis were implanted with the constructed composites, containing different combinations of mesenchymal stem cells and Vanco-AB. The in vivo capacities of anti-infection and local osteogenesis of the grafts were determined using radiographic assessment, histopathological observation, and microorganism cultures. Results showed that the injectable anti-infection tissue-engineered construct, comprising a fibrin gel scaffold and Vanco-AB led to efficient eradication of bacteria. At 1 and 3 months after transplantation, the radiographic assessment and microbiological examination demonstrated that the sustained antibiotic release by Vanco-AB significantly decreased the Norden scores of osteomyelitis, generated negative results for the presence of bacteria, and reduced the relapse of osteomyelitis. Meanwhile, tissue-engineered construct implanted in one-stage promoted local bone repair and reconstruction, and it exhibited more apparent osteogenic potential, compared to the control group (without Vanco-AB). In conclusion, the current study achieved the primary repair of bone defect with infection, thus providing an alternative treatment strategy for infected bone defect, which occurs commonly in chronic osteomyelitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Southwest Hospital, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Junchao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Tianyong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Bianba
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Luobu
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Qianbo
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhiqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Huiyong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Jianzhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018786:Bone Substitutes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D005337:Fibrin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017102:Fracture Healing; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D011817:Rabbits; D013977:Tibia; D013978:Tibial Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D018786:Bone Substitutes; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D014640:Vancomycin; D005337:Fibrin