title: A comparative study of Sr-incorporated mesoporous bioactive glass scaffolds for regeneration of osteopenic bone defects.
abstract: Recently, the use of the pharmacological agent strontium ranelate has come to prominence for the treatment of osteoporosis. While much investigation is focused on preventing disease progression, here we fabricate strontium-containing scaffolds and show that they enhance bone defect healing in the femurs of rats induced by ovariectomy.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Recently, the use of the pharmacological agent strontium ranelate has come to prominence for the treatment of osteoporosis due to its ability to prevent bone loss in osteoporotic patients. Although much emphasis has been placed on using pharmacological agents for the prevention of disease, much less attention has been placed on the construction of biomaterials following osteoporotic-related fracture. The aim of the present study was to incorporate bioactive strontium (Sr) trace element into mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) scaffolds and to investigate their in vivo efficacy for bone defect healing in the femurs of rats induced by ovariectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 30 animals were divided into five groups as follows: (1) empty defect (control), (2) empty defects with estrogen replacement therapy, (3) defects filled with MBG scaffolds alone, (4) defects filled with MBG + estrogen replacement therapy, and (5) defects filled with strontium-incorporated mesopore-bioglass (Sr-MBG) scaffolds.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The two groups demonstrating the highest levels of new bone formation were the defects treated with MBG + estrogen replacement therapy and the defects receiving Sr-MBG scaffolds as assessed by μ-CT and histological analysis. Furthermore, Sr scaffolds had a reduced number of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive cells when compared to other modalities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results from the present study demonstrate that the local release of Sr from bone scaffolds may improve fracture repair. Future large animal models are necessary to investigate the future relationship of Sr incorporation into biomaterials.
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology (Hubei-MOST) & Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, 237 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430079, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ke
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Prasadam
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Miron
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001851:Bone Diseases, Metabolic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001861:Bone Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002516:Ceramics; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D015918:Infusion Pumps, Implantable; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D010052:Ovariectomy; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013324:Strontium / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds; D055114:X-Ray Microtomography
chemical_list: C022107:Bioglass; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D013324:Strontium