Influence of Strontium Substitution on Osteogenesis of Bioglass/Gelatin Scaffold in Critically Sized rabbit Calvarial Defects

 Growing experiments show that biomaterials that have a bioactive glass (BG) indicate encouraging effects on bone tissue repair. Strontium-substituted BGs (BG/Sr) have been confirmed to improve bone formation while preventing bone resorption by osteoclasts.

 This study aimed to evaluate the potential of strontium substitution on bioglass/gelatin (Gel) osteogenesis in critically sized rabbit calvarial defects. Defects were treated with Gel-BG or Gel-BG/Sr scaffolds and one defect was left unfilled as a control. Bone regeneration and mineralization process were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin, Masson’s trichrome and Alizarin Red staining after 4 and 8 weeks post-implantation.

 Based on the histological findings, newly formed bone area in scaffolds containing BG/Sr was greater than that without Sr after 8 weeks.

 Our results specified that BG/Sr containing scaffolds could better increase bone regeneration than those without Sr and could be considered as a bone graft in bone tissue engineering.