Repair of Critical Bone Defects With Injectable Platelet Rich Plasma/Bone Marrow-Derived Stromal Cells Composite: Experimental Study in Rabbits

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been applied to promote bone healing and developed as a novel material for bone regeneration. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of PRP carrier to deliver bone marrow derived stromal cells (BMSCs) and regenerate bone tissues to reconstruct critical bone defects in rabbits.

Methods: Critical sized defect were made on eighteen rabbits’ crania and treated by different composites: BMSCs/PRP (n=6); Autogenous particulate cancellous bone group (n=6) and PRP alone group (n=6). The defects were evaluated by gross observation, radiographic examination, histological examination, and mechanical examination at 12 weeks postoperatively.

Results: The results showed that repair of bone defect was the least in PRP alone group, and significant new bone formation could be observed in BMSCs/PRP group and particulate cancellous bone group, radiopacity area in BMSCs/PRP group attained 76.5%, which was in the same range of that in autogenous particulate cancellous bone group (82.4% in radiopacity area), compressive strength of engineered bone in BMSCs/PRP group attained 71% of that in autogenous particulate cancellous bone group (p<0.05).

Conclusions: These data implicated that BMSCs delivered from PRP gel can repair bony defect in immunocompetent animals, and the tissue engineered bone in BMSCs/PRP group is comparable to autogenous particulate cancellous bone group for the repair of critical-sized bone defect.