Treatment of Critical-Size Femoral Bone Defects with Chitosan Scaffolds Produced by a Novel Process from Textile Engineering.

Bruno Zwingenberger,Elisabeth Mehnert,Stefan Zwingenberger,Julia Bolte,Dilbar Aibibu,Corina Vater,Ronny Brünler,Roland L Bell

doi:10.3390/biomedicines9081015

Bruno Zwingenberger, Elisabeth Mehnert + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines9081015

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate, in vitro and in vivo, the suitability of chitosan (CHS) scaffolds produced by the net-shape-nonwoven (NSN) technology, for use as bone graft substitutes in a critical-size femoral bone defect in rats. For in vitro investigations, scaffolds made of CHS, mineralized collagen (MCM), or human cancellous bone allograft (CBA) were seeded with human telomerase-immortalized mesenchymal stromal cells (hTERT-MSC), incubated for 14 days, and thereafter evaluated for proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. In vivo, CHS, MCM and CBA scaffolds were implanted into 5 mm critical-size femoral bone defects in rats. After 12 weeks, the volume of newly formed bone was determined by microcomputed tomography (µCT), while the degree of defect healing, as well as vascularization and the number of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, was evaluated histologically. In vitro, CHS scaffolds showed significantly higher osteogenic properties, whereas treatment with CHS, in vivo, led to a lower grade of bone-healing compared to CBA and MCM. While chitosan offers a completely new field of scaffold production by fibers, these scaffolds will have to be improved in the future, regarding mechanical stability and osteoconductivity.

Highlights

The treatment of critical bone defects is a common problem that is encountered by physicians in operative orthopedics and trauma surgery in daily practice
Several studies show that the inexpensive, natural biopolymer chitosan (CHS), which can be harvested from the shell of crustaceans, exhibits a number of properties that promote bone growth [3,4,5]
Chitosan can be formed into a wide variety of three-dimensional shapes, for use as scaffolds for the treatment of critical bone defects, and is of relatively low cost

Summary

Introduction

The treatment of critical bone defects is a common problem that is encountered by physicians in operative orthopedics and trauma surgery in daily practice. The use of autologous bone graft represents the current gold standard for the mending of critical bone defects. Several studies show that the inexpensive, natural biopolymer chitosan (CHS), which can be harvested from the shell of crustaceans, exhibits a number of properties that promote bone growth [3,4,5]. Chitosan can be formed into a wide variety of three-dimensional shapes, for use as scaffolds for the treatment of critical bone defects, and is of relatively low cost. Studies have investigated chitosan-based scaffolds produced by freeze-drying, molding from a paste form, or even by particle aggregation [4,6]

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