title: Treatment of osteonecrosis in the knee joint of a rabbit using autologous cultured osteoblasts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  [corrected] To develop a successful treatment modality for osteonecrosis, an appropriate animal model is essential. We have proposed a new osteonecrosis model that shows the total amount of necrosis and in which we observed new bone formation after transplanting autologous cultured osteoblasts.
  
  
  METHODS
  The femoral condyles of the right knees of New Zealand white rabbits were exposed after dissecting the ligaments surrounding the distal femur. After which, the metaphyseal-diaphyseal junction was cut using a saw, and the entire femoral condyle was isolated. After three liquid nitrogen treatments, the isolated femoral condyle was internally fixated to the femoral shaft using two or three Kirschner wires. Bone marrow isolated from the iliac crest was cultivated to differentiate it into osteoblasts, and the cultured cells were then injected into the necrotic bone.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Viable osteocytes with well-stained nuclei were not present in the necrotic areas at any stage of the development of the osteonecrosis model within 24 wk after osteonecrosis induction. However, new bone formation with osteocytes and blood vessels was observed in the necrotic bone 12 wk after transplanting the autologous cultured osteoblasts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The distal femoral condyle of the rabbit is an appropriate model for demonstrating osteonecrosis and treatment evaluation owing to its easy reproducibility and treatment interpretation. Therefore, autologous cultured osteoblast treatment would seem to be a potentially successful treatment modality for osteonecrosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Hwan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Asode Ananthram
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Shetty
authors.forename: Seok Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yong Sik
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Nam Yong
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Nam Hyuk
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology; D017690:Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005269:Femur / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005271:Femur Head Necrosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005615:Freezing / Q000009:adverse effects; D006085:Graft Survival; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000637:transplantation*; D010020:Osteonecrosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D061251:Primary Cell Culture; D011817:Rabbits; D011859:Radiography; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000166:cytology; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
keywords: Animal model; Autologous; Knee; Osteoblasts; Osteonecrosis