The effect of recombinant human osteogenic protein-1 on growth plate repair in a sheep model

Injuries to the growth plate in children can result in bone bridge formation, which ultimately lead to limb length and angular deformities. The histological and molecular changes associated with growth plate repair following the Langenskiöld procedure, a surgical technique used to remove impeding bone bridges, in conjunction with administration of recombinant human osteogenic protein-1 (rhOP-1) were examined using a sheep model. Following treatment with rhOP-1 there was an increase in the height of the growth plate immediately adjacent to the defect compared to untreated animals. The expression of type I collagen, osteopontin and decorin were observed in the growth plate adjacent to the defect in the untreated animals at day 56, but this response was accelerated in the rhOP-1 treated animals, with these molecules seen as early as day 7. Therefore, treatment with rhOP-1 initiated a complex response that was both chondrogenic and osteogenic in nature.