Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Systemic administrations are widely used in preventing or curing bone infections, however, it accompanied by great adverse reactions and limited local blood drug levels. Therefore, local administration becomes a research focus, which aimed to explore a carrier possess good biocompatibility and slow-release antibiotics. 
OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of calcium alginate gel compound vancomycin on prevention of bone infection, simultaneously, single drug was injected or implanted into models to compare the results.
METHODS: A total of 60 healthy adult New Zealand white rabbits were prepared for osteomyelitis models by injecting Staphylococcus aureus to right tibiae medullaris, and randomly divided into systemic treatment, tricalcium phosphate and calcium alginate gel groups. After model preparation, rabbits in the systemic treatment group were intramuscular injected vancomycin (0.03 g, twice per day, for 4 successive days); in the tricalcium phosphate group, 1 g tricalcium phosphate combined with 0.1 g vancomycin was filled in the defects, sealed with bone wax. In the calcium alginate gel group, calcium alginate gel combined with vancomycin was implanted. Gross observation, radiological image and histological analysis were performed at weeks 4 and 8 after operation.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Local swelling and partial sinus were found in the systemic treatment and tricalcium phosphate groups after operation. The pathological slice showed that there were a large number of lymphocytes and some sequestrum in the systemic treatment and tricalcium phosphate groups. However, there was no manifestation of osteomyelitis in the calcium alginate gel group. The results suggested that calcium alginate gel compound vancomycin exhibit superior therapeutic effect on prevention of bone infection to local administration of calcium alginate gel combined with vancomycin or systemic application of vancomycin.