Enhancement of the effects of exfoliated carbon nanofibers by bone morphogenetic protein in a rat femoral fracture model.

Abstract

Exfoliated carbon nanofibers (ExCNFs) are expected to serve as excellent scaffolds for promoting and guiding bone-tissue regeneration. We aimed to enhance the effects of ExCNFs with bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and examine their feasibility and safety in clinical applications using a rat femoral fracture model. Group I (n = 16) animals were implanted with control MedGEL. Group II (n = 17) animals were implanted with MedGEL containing ExCNFs. Group III (n = 15) animals were implanted with MedGEL containing 1 μg rhBMP-2. Group IV (n = 15) animals were implanted with MedGEL containing 1 μg rhBMP-2 and ExCNFs. The rats were euthanized after 6 weeks, and their fractured femurs were explanted and assessed by manual palpation, radiographs, and high-resolution microcomputerized tomography (micro-CT); the femurs were also subjected to biomechanical and histological analysis. The fusion rates in Group IV (73.3%) were considerably higher than those in Groups I (25.0%), II (52.9%), and III (46.7%). The results demonstrated the enhancement of the bone repair effects of ExCNFs by BMP in a rat femoral fracture model. Our results suggest that the enhancement of the effects of ExCNFs by BMP makes the combination a possible attractive therapy for various orthopedic surgeries.