Effect of Zeolite and Zeolite/Collagen nanocomposite scaffolds on healing of segmental femur bone defect in rabbits

Objective- The present study was aimed to evaluate repair of a critical segmental defect of rabbit femur using the rabbit’s femoral defects repaired by Zeolite and Zeolite/Collagen scaffolds Design- Experimental Study Animals- Forty-five mature male New Zealand white rabbits Procedures- The animals were randomly divided into three groups of 15 animals each. In the first group (NC) the defect was made and with no treatment the wound was closed. In the second group (ZNC) the nanocomposite of zeolite was implanted into the defect. In the third group (Z/COL NC) the nanocomposite of zeolite/collagen was implanted into the defect. The periost and subcutaneous tissues were then closed primarily. The specimens were taken on days 15, 30, and 60 postoperatively and assessed histopathologically. Results- Comparison of average scores of unio‎n index among groups showed that there was a significant difference between the mean scores of unio‎n in three groups (p<0.05). Descriptive statistics of spongiosa index showed that the highest point to the index was found in Z/COL NC group on day 15 (2.2) and the lowest point was found in both ZNC and NC groups (0.6). Descriptive statistics of Bone marrow index showed that there was not a significant difference between the mean scores of the index in three groups (P>0.05). Conclusion and clinical relevance- The results of this study showed that zeolite and zeolite/collagen nanocomposite could be taken into consideration for grafting for bone fracture healing. It could be concluded that zeolite and zeolite/collagen nanocomposite bear a crucial capability in the reconstruction of bone defects and could be used as scaffold in bone fractures.