Effects of a perfusion bioreactor activated novel bone substitute in spine fusion in sheep.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of a large perfusion-bioreactor cell-activated bone substitute, on a two-level large posterolateral spine fusion sheep model.

Methods: A 50 mm long porous biphasic-calcium-phosphate bone substitute reinforced with poly(D,L-lactide) and, activated with bone marrow derived mononuclear-cells (BMNC) was used. Eighteen sheep were divided into two groups and one group (n = 9) had BMNC-activated bone substitutes and cell-free substitutes implanted.

Comparison of two carbonated apatite ceramics in vivo.

Carbonated apatite ceramics, with a composition similar to that of bone mineral, are potentially interesting synthetic bone graft substitutes. In the present study, two porous carbonated apatite ceramics were developed, characterized and tested for their bone repair capacity and osteoinductive potential in a goat model. Although the two ceramics were prepared from a similar starting powder, their physico-chemical and structural characteristics differed as a consequence of different preparation methods.

Comparative in vivo study of six hydroxyapatite-based bone graft substitutes.

Improvement of synthetic bone graft substitutes as suitable alternatives to a patient's own bone graft remains a challenge in biomaterials research. Our goal was to answer the question of whether improved osteoinductivity of a material would also translate to better bone-healing orthotopically. Three porous biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) ceramics (BCPA, BCPB, and BCPC), consisting of hydroxyapatite and beta-tricalcium phosphate, a porous biphasic calcium phosphate ceramic reinforced with a bioresorbable polylactic acid to improve its mechanical properties (BCPC+), a pure hydroxyapatite ceramic (HA), and a carbonated apatite ceramic (CA) were implanted intramuscularly and orthotopically by using a transverse process model in 11 goats for 12 weeks.