In Vivo Effects of Biosilica and Spongin-Like Collagen Scaffolds on the Healing Process in Osteoporotic Rats.

Due to bioactive properties, introducing spongin-like collagen (SPG) into the biosilica (BS) extracted from marine sponges would present an enhanced biological material for improving osteoporotic fracture healing by increasing bone formation rate. Our aim was to characterize the morphology of the BS/SPG scaffolds by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the chemical bonds of the material by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and evaluating the orthotopic in vivo response of BS/SPG scaffolds in tibial defects of osteoporotic fractures in rats (histology, histomorphometry, and immunohistochemistry) in two experimental periods (15 and 30 days). SEM showed that scaffolds were porous, showing the spicules of BS and fibrous aspect of SPG.