Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Morbidity of Perthes disease is associated with femoral head blood supply, periacetabular lesion, surgical trauma, endocrine, as well as heredity in children. 
OBJECTIVE: To construct a animal model of perthes disease and to observe the histopathological change, apoptosis and p53 and bcl-2 gene expression, and to explore the correlation between p53 and bcl-2 gene and pathogenesis of Perthes disease.
METHODS: New Zealand neonatal rabbits were constructed Perthes disease models by injecting TH glum into right femoral head under C-type arm, normal saline was injected in the control group. At 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 weeks after modeling, right femoral head of rabbits were prepared for pathological sections, and the apoptosis of epiphyseal plate cells, the changes of p53 and bcl-2 gene expression were observed. 
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: At 4 weeks after modling, the joint space became widen in the right femoral head, presented with punctate hemorrhage and denaturization, followed by declines in the adhearant density and sclerotin crispness, the metaphysic softened and loosened. There was a positive correlation between epiphyseal plate cell apoptosis p53 gene expression in the model group (r = 0.68, P < 0.05)and negative correlation between epiphyseal plate cell apoptosis and Bcl-2 gene expression (r = -0.75, P < 0.01). The constrcuted models are characterized by stablity, simple manipulation and reproducibility. The findings demonstrated that p53 and bcl-2 apoptotic gene have correlation with pathogenesis of Perthes disease.