A comparative study of tissue-engineered constructs from Acropora and Porites coral in a large animal bone defect model

A Decambron; M Manassero; M Bensidhoum; B Lecuelle; D Logeart-Avramoglou; H Petite; V Viateau

doi:10.1302/2046-3758.64.BJR-2016-0236.R1

A comparative study of tissue-engineered constructs from Acropora and Porites coral in a large animal bone defect model

Bone Joint Res. 2017 Apr;6(4):208-215. doi: 10.1302/2046-3758.64.BJR-2016-0236.R1.

Authors

A Decambron¹, M Manassero², M Bensidhoum³, B Lecuelle⁴, D Logeart-Avramoglou³, H Petite³, V Viateau²

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Bioengineering and Bioimaging for Osteo-Articular tissues (B2OA), 10 Avenue de Verdun, 75010 Paris and Université Paris-Est, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, 7 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94704 Maisons-Alfort Cedex, France adeline.decambron@vet-alfort.fr.
² Laboratory of Bioengineering and Bioimaging for Osteo-Articular tissues (B2OA), 10 Avenue de Verdun, 75010 Paris and Université Paris-Est, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, 7 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94704 Maisons-Alfort Cedex, France.
³ Laboratory of Bioengineering and Bioimaging for Osteo-Articular tissues (B2OA), 10 Avenue de Verdun, 75010 Paris, France.
⁴ Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort-Université Paris Est, 7 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, Maisons-Alfort 94704, France.

PMID: 28408376
PMCID: PMC5415902
DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.64.BJR-2016-0236.R1

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the therapeutic potential of tissue-engineered constructs (TECs) combining mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and coral granules from either Acropora or Porites to repair large bone defects.

Materials and methods: Bone marrow-derived, autologous MSCs were seeded on Acropora or Porites coral granules in a perfusion bioreactor. Acropora-TECs (n = 7), Porites-TECs (n = 6) and bone autografts (n = 2) were then implanted into 25 mm long metatarsal diaphyseal defects in sheep. Bimonthly radiographic follow-up was completed until killing four months post-operatively. Explants were subsequently processed for microCT and histology to assess bone formation and coral bioresorption. Statistical analyses comprised Mann-Whitney, t-test and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Data were expressed as mean and standard deviation.

Results: A two-fold increaseof newly formed bone volume was observed for Acropora-TECs when compared with Porites-TECs (14 sd 1089 mm³versus 782 sd 507 mm³; p = 0.09). Bone union was consistent with autograft (1960 sd 518 mm³). The kinetics of bioresorption and bioresorption rates at four months were different for Acropora-TECs and Porites-TECs (81% sd 5% versus 94% sd 6%; p = 0.04). In comparing the defects that healed with those that did not, we observed that, when major bioresorption of coral at two months occurs and a scaffold material bioresorption rate superior to 90% at four months is achieved, bone nonunion consistently occurred using coral-based TECs.

Discussion: Bone regeneration in critical-size defects could be obtained with full bioresorption of the scaffold using coral-based TECs in a large animal model. The superior performance of Acropora-TECs brings us closer to a clinical application, probably because of more suitable bioresorption kinetics. However, nonunion still occurred in nearly half of the bone defects.Cite this article: A. Decambron, M. Manassero, M. Bensidhoum, B. Lecuelle, D. Logeart-Avramoglou, H. Petite, V. Viateau. A comparative study of tissue-engineered constructs from Acropora and Porites coral in a large animal bone defect model. Bone Joint Res 2017;6:208-215. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.64.BJR-2016-0236.R1.

Keywords: Atrophic nonunion of the long bones; Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells; Coral scaffold.