Response of the mouse femoral muscle to an implant of a composite of bone morphogenetic protein and plaster of Paris.

A composite consisting of 1 mg of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and 5 mg of plaster of Paris (PLP) was implanted into the mouse femoral muscle. Control PLP without BMP was implanted into the contralateral muscle. The BMP/PLP composite induced cartilage formation within two weeks, trabecular bone within three weeks, and lamellar bone including bone marrow within six weeks. PLP did not disturb BMP-induced bone formation. In addition, the BMP/PLP composite was resorbed early after implantation. These results suggest that PLP composite system is one of the most suitable BMP delivery systems currently available.