Hyper-Crosslinked Carbohydrate Polymer for Repair of Critical-Sized Bone Defects

Abstract

This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of a novel hyper-crosslinked carbohydrate polymer (HCCP) for the repair of critical-sized bone defects in comparison to two alternative treatments: autologous bone and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) with hyaluronic acid (PLGA/HA). Bilateral critical-sized defects were created in the lateral femoral condyles of skeletally mature New Zealand White rabbits, and they were subsequently implanted with HCCP, PLGA/HA, or autologous bone in a randomized manner. Clinical and behavioral observations were made daily, and radiological and histopathological evaluations were performed at 4, 10, and 16 weeks postimplantation. Defects implanted with HCCP showed progressive bone regeneration and bridging of the defect without adverse histological events. No signs of infection or inflammation associated with the implant material were observed in all animals that received HCCP implantation. A radiographic assessment performed at 16 weeks post-implantation showed significantly higher bone density and volume in defects implanted with HCCP compared to PLGA/HA. No statistically significant difference was observed in bone density and volume between HCCP and autologous bone. These findings demonstrate that HCCP is biocompatible, osteoconductive, and capable of promoting bone regeneration in vivo ; therefore, it is suitable for both tissue engineering and the repair of critical-sized bone defects.

Use of a Novel Hypercrosslinked Carbohydrate Scaffold for Vocal Fold Medialization in an Ovine Model

“…The timeline in this study is too short to determine what long‐term tissue augmentation will be generated by the host tissue ingrowth, though early cellular infiltrates are similar to dense fibrous tissue or scar rather than muscle or lamina propria. However, in a study of HCCP implanted into bone defects in rabbit femurs, polymer degradation was nearly complete by 4 weeks postimplantation while new osteoblast formation occurred at the site up to 16 weeks later 10 . Furthermore, the microporous nature of HCCP allows for tunable rate of scaffold resorption by altering pore size and relative density of the carbohydrate scaffold, which may potentially allow for greater control of degradation time and rate of host cell ingrowth.…”

“…Hypercrosslinked carbohydrate polymer (HCCP) is a novel polysaccharide scaffold developed to facilitate cellular migration and adherence in various organ systems (Figure 1). HCCP has been shown to successfully regenerate critical bone defects and support growth and differentiation of human renal and cardiac progenitor cells 10–12 . The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the safety and cellular response to a novel HCCP scaffold for vocal fold medialization in an ovine model.…”

A novel classification of bone graft materials

“…Accell ® , Evo3 ® , and Grafton ® also performed better than autografts in a spinal fusion study. 23 Other scaffolds such as ArcGel ® , 158 mPEG/PLGA hydrogel with BMP-2, 56 HCCP polymer, 57 Bio-Oss ® , 58 zirconia/HAp composites, 54 and porous HAp scaffolds 81 behaved similarly to autografts in the animal models. Composites have shown better success rates compared to single material scaffolds.…”

Biomedical applications of three‐dimensional bioprinted craniofacial tissue engineering

“…New polymer‐based material like carbohydrate polymer (HCCP) was used to repair the critical‐sized bone defects and compared with autologous bone and composite of poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide) with hyaluronic acid. Better bone density was observed in the group of animals implanted with carbohydrate polymer compared with poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide)/hyaluronic acid, and no difference was seen compared with autologous graft 150 . The process of bone regeneration could be enhanced by using an anti‐osteoporosis agent like sodium alendronate.…”

“…Better bone density was observed in the group of animals implanted with carbohydrate polymer compared with poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide)/hyaluronic acid, and no difference was seen compared with autologous graft. 150 The process of bone regeneration could be enhanced by using an anti‐osteoporosis agent like sodium alendronate. Sodium alendronate inhibits bone resorption; and hence, it was hypothesized that such agents could enhance the bone regeneration process.…”