Role of Coral, Demineralized Calf Fetal Growth Plate, and a Combination of the Two in Healing of Bone Defects in Rabbits

Background: Currently, coral is used as an osteoconductive material. Demineralized calf fetal growth plate (DCFGP) has also been used as a source of osteoinduction. Objectives: This study examined the effect of a combination of DCFGP and coral in order to evaluate the associated bone healing properties in a critical size bone defect model in rabbits. Methods: A critical size defect of up to 10 mm in length was created in the middle portion of the radial bone of 15 rabbits. The aforementioned defects were then filled with either coral, coral-DCFGP, or DCFGP alone. Radiographs of each forelimb were taken postoperatively every two weeks until the 8th week post-injury in order to evaluate the radiographic criteria for bone healing in the defected area. All rabbits were euthanized during the 8th postoperative week, and the treated radial bones were harvested for gross and histopathological evaluation. Results: Macroscopic and histopathological evaluation did not reveal any significant differences between the three groups. The radiological evaluation of bone formation and the remodeling criteria revealed that there was a significant difference at the 6th and 8th postoperative weeks (P 0.05). The coral-DCFGP group was superior to the other groups at the 6th and 8th postoperative weeks. Conclusions: The radiological findings of the present study showed that the use of a coral-DCFGP mixture led to superior bone defect healing and rapid graft incorporation when compared to the use of solely coral or DCFGP.