Growth plate fracture can lead to retarded growth and unequal limb length, which may have a lifelong effect on a person's physical stature. The goal of this research was to develop an in vivo tissue-engineering approach for the treatment of growth plate injury via localized delivery of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) from cell-free poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds. Mass loss and drug release studies were conducted to study the scaffold degradation and IGF-I release patterns. In vitro cell studies showed that rat bone marrow stromal cells seeded on the porous scaffolds colonized the pores and deposited matrix within the scaffolds. These in vitro evaluations were followed by a proof-of-concept animal study involving implantation of scaffolds in proximal tibial growth plate defects in New Zealand white rabbits. Histological analysis of tissue sections from the in vivo studies showed regeneration of cartilage, albeit with disorganized structure, at the site of implantation of IGF-I-releasing scaffolds; in contrast, only bone was formed in empty defects and those treated with IGF-free scaffolds. The present findings show the potential for treating growth plate injury using in vivo tissue engineering techniques.

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