title: The treatment of segmental bone defects in rabbit tibiae with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-loaded gelatin/hydroxyapatite "cryogel" scaffold.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a novel hydroxyapatite containing gelatin scaffold--with and without local vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) administration--as the synthetic graft material in treatment of critical-sized bone defects. An experimental nonunion model was established by creating critical-sized (10 mm. in length) bone defects in the proximal tibiae of 30 skeletally mature New Zealand white rabbits. Following tibial intramedullary fixation, the rabbits were grouped into three: The defects were left empty in the first (control) group, the defects were grafted with synthetic scaffolds in the second group, and synthetic scaffolds loaded with VEGF were administered at bone defects in the third group. Five rabbits in each group were killed on 6th and 12th weeks, and new bone growth was assessed radiologically, histologically and with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). At 6 weeks, VEGF-administered group had significantly better scores than the other two groups. The second group also had significantly better scores than the control group. At 12 weeks, while no significant difference was noted between the second and third groups, these two groups both had significantly better scores in all criteria compared with the control group. There were no signs of complete fracture healing in the control group. The administration of hydroxyapatite containing gelatin scaffold yielded favorable results in grafting the critical-sized bone defects in this experimental model. The local administration of VEGF on the graft had a positive effect in the early phase of fracture healing.
authors: Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery Service, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, 10021, USA, burakyagmurozturk@hotmail.com.
authors: Burak Yagmur
authors: BY
authors: Ozturk
authors: Ilyas
authors: I
authors: Inci
authors: Sinan
authors: S
authors: Egri
authors: Akif Muhtar
authors: AM
authors: Ozturk
authors: Haluk
authors: H
authors: Yetkin
authors: Guleser
authors: G
authors: Goktas
authors: Cigdem
authors: C
authors: Elmas
authors: Erhan
authors: E
authors: Piskin
authors: Deniz
authors: D
authors: Erdogan
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology; D016025:Bone Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D059985:Cryogels / Q000494:pharmacology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D017886:Durapatite / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000379:methods; D017102:Fracture Healing / Q000187:drug effects; D005599:Fractures, Ununited / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005780:Gelatin / Q000494:pharmacology; D011817:Rabbits; D013978:Tibial Fractures / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D059985:Cryogels; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D005780:Gelatin; D017886:Durapatite