title: Enhancement of the effects of exfoliated carbon nanofibers by bone morphogenetic protein in a rat femoral fracture model.
abstract: Exfoliated carbon nanofibers (ExCNFs) are expected to serve as excellent scaffolds for promoting and guiding bone-tissue regeneration. We aimed to enhance the effects of ExCNFs with bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and examine their feasibility and safety in clinical applications using a rat femoral fracture model. Group I (n = 16) animals were implanted with control MedGEL. Group II (n = 17) animals were implanted with MedGEL containing ExCNFs. Group III (n = 15) animals were implanted with MedGEL containing 1 μg rhBMP-2. Group IV (n = 15) animals were implanted with MedGEL containing 1 μg rhBMP-2 and ExCNFs. The rats were euthanized after 6 weeks, and their fractured femurs were explanted and assessed by manual palpation, radiographs, and high-resolution microcomputerized tomography (micro-CT); the femurs were also subjected to biomechanical and histological analysis. The fusion rates in Group IV (73.3%) were considerably higher than those in Groups I (25.0%), II (52.9%), and III (46.7%). The results demonstrated the enhancement of the bone repair effects of ExCNFs by BMP in a rat femoral fracture model. Our results suggest that the enhancement of the effects of ExCNFs by BMP makes the combination a possible attractive therapy for various orthopedic surgeries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Oita, Japan.
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toyoda
authors.forename: Toyomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshiiwa
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kaku
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsumura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002244:Carbon; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D005269:Femur / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D017102:Fracture Healing / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016474:Weight-Bearing; D055114:X-Ray Microtomography
chemical_list: D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D002244:Carbon
keywords: bone morphogenetic protein; exfoliated carbon nanofiber; fracture healing; rat femoral fracture model; scaffold