Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Preliminary experiments have shown that chitosan-calcium phosphate/bone morphogenetic protein-2/basic fibroblast growth factor (CS-CPC/BMP-2/bFGF) scaffolds can promote the rabbit spinal fusion.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of CS-CPC/BMP-2/bFGF scaffolds on spinal fusion in rabbits.
METHODS: The CS-CPC/BMP-2/bFGF scaffolds was produced and co-cultured with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to form the tissue engineered bone in vitro. The intervertebral discs of 40 New Zealand white rabbits were removed, and then randomly divided into four groups: the control group was implanted with autogenous iliac bone, the scaffold group was implanted with CS-CPC/rhBMP-2/bFGF composites; the experimental group was implanted with tissue engineered bone-materials; the blank control group was not implanted with any material.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: After 12 weeks: ①X-ray examination showed the spinal fusion and the biomechanical strength of the fusion segments in the control group and the experimental group were similar, and the biomechanical strength in the control group and the experimental group was stronger than that in the blank control group and scaffolds group (P < 0.05), and the scaffold group was stronger than the blank control group (P < 0.05). ②Histological paraffin sections showed that the woven bone and new blood capillaries could be seen in the experimental group and the control group, and in the scaffold group, we only found the stent mesh of the chitosan; and in the blank control group, we did not find the special structure. The results showed that the CS-CPC/BMP-2/bFGF scaffold combined with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells could promote the spinal fusion significantly.