Effect of Biodegradable Gelatin β-Tri Calcium Phosphate Sponges Containing Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 on Equine Bone Defect

This study evaluated the osteoanagenetic effects of administering biodegradable gelatin β-tri calcium phosphate sponges containing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) on equine bone defect. Six healthy Thoroughbred horses were used in this study. Horses were anesthetized, and skin incisions were made on all the limbs. Splint bones were exposed and a 1-cm bone defect was created in each exposed bone. Gelatin β-tri calcium phosphate sponges containing MSC and BMP-2 (MSC + BMP-2 sponge), MSC only (MSC sponge), BMP-2 only (BMP-2 sponge), or saline (saline sponge) were implanted into each bone defect at random. Defects were monitored for 16 weeks by radiography followed by computed tomography (CT) and histologic analyses. At 16 weeks, radiographic scores of MSC + BMP-2 sponge-treated defects were significantly higher than those of saline-treated defects (P = .027). Moreover, the CT value of the MSC + BMP-2 sponge group was significantly higher than that of the other groups (P = .027; P = .046; and P = .027, respectively), and the histologic score of the MSC + BMP-2 sponge group was significantly greater than that of the saline sponge group (P = .041). We conclude that MSC + BMP-2 sponge administration to bone defects accelerates bone regeneration in equines.