Evaluation of Long-Term Bone Regeneration in Rat Calvarial Defects Implanted with Strong Porous Bioactive Glass (13-93) Scaffolds

Abstract

The use of bioactive glass scaffolds for repairing large bone defects, particularly in structural bone, is an area of increasing interest. However, data on the capacity of bioactive glass scaffolds to regenerate bone in vivo over a long-term duration are limited. In this study, bone regeneration in rat calvarial defects implanted with strong porous scaffolds of silicate 13-93 glass (porosity = 47 ±1%) was investigated at 6, 12 and 24 weeks postimplantation. Two groups of implants, composed of as-fabricated scaffolds and scaffolds loaded with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2) (1 μg/defect) were studied. Bone regeneration and bioactive glass conversion to hydroxyapatite in the defects implanted with the two groups of scaffolds were evaluated using histology, histomorphometric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. When compared to the as-fabricated scaffolds, the BMP2-loaded scaffolds showed significantly better capacity to regenerate bone at all three implantation times and they were almost completely infiltrated with lamellar bone within 12 weeks. The amount of glass conversion to hydroxyapatite at 24 weeks (~30%) was not significantly different between the two groups of scaffolds. Based on their capacity to rapidly regenerate bone and to maintain healthy bone growth over the 24 week period, these strong porous bioactive glass (13-93) scaffolds loaded with BMP2 are promising candidate implants for structural bone repair.

Meeting Name

Next Generation Biomaterials and Surface Properties of Biomaterials Symposia - Materials Science and Technology Conference (2014: Oct. 12-16, Pittsburgh, PA)

Department(s)

Materials Science and Engineering

International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

978-1119190028

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

1042-1122

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2015 American Ceramic Society, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2015

Link to Full Text

Share

 
COinS