Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Cell Transplant. 2011;20(2):233-43. doi: 10.3727/096368910X522234. Epub 2010 Aug 18.
Femoral head osteonecrosis (ON) is a serious complication of steroid administration. We examined whether implantation of autologous bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) can augment neovascularization and bone regeneration in steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Forty 12-week-old male New-Zealand white rabbits were divided into group I (left untreated, n=12), group II (core decompression, n=12), and group III (core decompression + autologous EPCs implantation, n=16) after receiving an established inductive protocol for inducing steroid-associated ON. Four weeks later, these rabbits were euthanized, bilateral femora were dissected for Micro-CT-based microangiography to assess vascularization, and then the osteonecrotic changes and repair processes were examined histopathologically. Quantitative analysis showed that new vessel formation in group III was significantly greater compared with other groups at 4 weeks after treatment. The histologic and histomorphometric analyses revealed that the new bone volume was significantly higher in group III than in groups I and II 4 weeks after treatment. A combination of EPCs and core decompression enhances the neovascularization and bone regeneration in rabbit steroid-induced femoral head ON. Local implantation of EPCs may provide a novel and effective therapeutic option for early corticosteroid-induced ON.
股骨头坏死（ON）是类固醇治疗的严重并发症。我们研究了自体骨髓来源的内皮祖细胞（EPC）植入是否可以增强激素诱导性股骨头坏死中的新生血管生成和骨再生。40 只 12 周龄雄性新西兰白兔在接受类固醇相关 ON 诱导的既定诱导方案后，分为 I 组（左侧未治疗，n=12）、II 组（核心减压，n=12）和 III 组（核心减压+自体 EPC 植入，n=16）。4 周后，处死这些兔子，解剖双侧股骨进行基于 Micro-CT 的微血管成像，以评估血管生成，然后进行组织病理学检查以评估骨坏死变化和修复过程。定量分析显示，治疗后 4 周，III 组的新血管形成明显多于其他组。组织学和组织形态计量学分析显示，治疗后 4 周，III 组的新生骨体积明显高于 I 组和 II 组。EPC 与核心减压相结合可增强兔激素诱导性股骨头坏死中的新生血管生成和骨再生。EPC 的局部植入可能为早期皮质类固醇诱导性 ON 提供一种新的有效治疗选择。
