Skull bone regeneration in primates in response to basic fibroblast growth factor

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Skeletal Biology

Background:

• Skull defects pose significant clinical challenges for bone regeneration.
• Biodegradable hydrogels offer a potential scaffold for delivering therapeutic agents.
• Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is known for its role in tissue repair and growth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the feasibility of using a biodegradable hydrogel incorporating bFGF to induce bone regeneration in monkey skull defects.
• To evaluate the efficacy of bFGF-loaded hydrogels compared to bFGF in solution form for bone repair.

Main Methods:

• A bioabsorbable gelatin hydrogel was prepared via glutaraldehyde crosslinking.
• Monkey skull defects (6 mm diameter) were treated with gelatin hydrogel incorporating 100 µg of bFGF.
• Bone regeneration was assessed using soft x-ray, dual x-ray absorptiometry, and histological analysis.

Main Results:

• Gelatin hydrogels with bFGF significantly promoted bone regeneration, achieving complete skull defect closure in 21 weeks.
• bFGF-loaded hydrogels enhanced bone mineral density (BMD) at the defect site, particularly with lower hydrogel water content.
• The hydrogel formulation was superior to bFGF in solution for promoting bone regeneration.

Conclusions:

• bFGF coupled with a bioabsorbable hydrogel is a highly promising therapeutic strategy for inducing bone regrowth in critical-sized skull defects.
• This approach offers a potential solution for challenging bone regeneration cases previously considered almost impossible.