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Wharton's Jelly for Augmented Cleft Palate Repair in a Rat Critical-Size Alveolar Bone Defect Model
Suchit Sahai1, Marysuna Wilkerson1, Hasen Xue1
1Department of Pediatric Surgery, McGovern Medical School, UTHealth-The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas.
Tissue Engineering. Part A
|November 20, 2019
Summary
Wharton's Jelly (WJ) significantly enhanced bone regeneration in a rat alveolar defect model, offering a potential alternative to traditional secondary alveolar bone grafts for cleft lip and palate repair.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Regenerative Medicine
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Background:
- Secondary alveolar bone grafts (ABGs) are standard for cleft lip and palate (CLP) alveolar defects but have drawbacks like invasiveness and delayed repair.
- Primary ABG is limited by insufficient infant bone donor sites.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate Wharton's Jelly (WJ) as a cell-free biomaterial for inducing bone formation in a critical-size alveolar bone defect model.
- To evaluate WJ's efficacy in promoting bone regeneration as a potential alternative to secondary ABG in CLP patients.
Main Methods:
- Human Wharton's Jelly (WJ) was implanted into critical-size alveolar bone defects in Sprague-Dawley rats.
- Bone regrowth was monitored non-invasively using CT imaging over 24 weeks.
- Histomorphometric and qPCR analyses were performed to quantify new bone formation and assess cell persistence.
Main Results:
- CT imaging confirmed critical defect size in controls, with no spontaneous union.
- WJ treatment led to partial-to-full defect closure, significantly increasing new bone formation (156.58%) compared to controls (50.36%).
- Histomorphometry confirmed greater bone formation in WJ-treated defects; qPCR detected no significant long-term human cell presence.
Conclusions:
- Wharton's Jelly effectively promotes bone regeneration in a preclinical alveolar defect model.
- WJ may act via osteoinduction of host tissues rather than engrafted cell differentiation.
- WJ presents a promising, less invasive adjunct for alveolar cleft defect repair in CLP patients, potentially reducing the need for secondary ABG.
