The effect of age, anatomical site and bone structure on osteogenesis in New Zealand White rabbit

Abstract

Among animal models, rabbits are widely used in medical research, as they fill the gap between smaller models, commonly employed in basic science, and larger ones, which are better suited for preclinical trials. Given their rapid growth, rabbits provide a valuable system for the evaluation of bone implants for tissue regeneration. By means of a histomorphometric analysis, here we quantified the mineral apposition rates (MARs) in osteonic, periosteum and endosteum osteogenic fronts, of skeletal elements within femur, tibia, radius, ulna, frontal and parietal bones in New Zealand White rabbits aged 6, 7 and 8 months. Our hypothesis is that the MAR varies according to the skeletal maturity of the animal, and also within the skeletal elements and the osteogenic fronts considered. In the present study we show that the MAR in both femur and tibia is significantly higher than in ulna and radius. We also demonstrate that the MAR in parietal bones is significantly higher compared to the MAR of both frontal and forelimb bones. Contrary to what was expected, the MARs of all the skeletal elements considered were not decreased following full skeletal maturity. Finally, the MAR of the osteonic-osteogenic front is the lowest in all of the skeletal elements considered. In conclusion, these results provide new important insights for the evaluation of bone implants, casting a light on the role of both age and osteogenic fronts on the bone MAR, and providing valuable information on the physiological bone turnover in New Zealand White rabbits.

A systematic review of preclinical in vivo testing of 3D printed porous Ti6Al4V for orthopedic applications, part I: Animal models and bone ingrowth outcome measures

“…Rabbit models are often cited as the most common in all musculoskeletal research 84,85 and indeed were the most frequently reported in our systematic review. This is due, in part, to their convenience in terms of size, cost, handling, and relatively young skeletal maturation age of 20–30 weeks 83,87 . Though their small size may be a limiting factor for experimental implants, 3D printing is well‐suited for creating size‐appropriate structures, as evidenced in part by their frequent use for 3DP pTi studies.…”

Evaluation of La(XT), a novel lanthanide compound, in an OVX rat model of osteoporosis

“…New perspectives indicate that the osteoporotic rabbit model derived by ovariectomy or glucocorticoid may be more suitable for studying human postmenopausal osteoporosis ( Zhang et al, 2016 ; Wanderman et al, 2018 ). Rabbit bone has Haversian systems and reaches quick bone maturity at around 6 months ( Permuy et al, 2019 ; Ravanetti et al, 2015 ). Similar to humans, rabbits possess active intracortical remodeling and a faster bone turnover which is favorable for studying compounds that affect bone remodeling balance ( Mapara et al, 2012 ).…”

Porous Titanium Granules in comparison with Autogenous Bone Graft in Femoral Osseous Defects: A Histomorphometric Study of Bone Regeneration and Osseointegration in Rabbits

“…ey have been studied in various animal models, such as rabbits [5,6,8,27], dogs [3,7,9,15,16], sheep [11], and mini-pigs [10,17,28], and humans as well [4, 13, 14, 18, 19, 21-26, 29, 30]. Among all animal models for medical and dental research, rabbits are widely used [31][32][33].…”