Cement coating of osteoarticular allografts in rats to prevent the immune response

Abstract

Recently, more attention is being paid to the treatment of the articular surface defect in the young, active individual. Resurfacing or "shell" allografts are being considered as one of the alternatives for treatment. The immune response by the host may be the chief obstacle to the successful use of fresh osteoarticular allografts. Since proteins on the surfaces of allograft bone cells are considered to be the principal antigens eliciting the immune response, we hypothesized that mechanical masking of these cells by a biodegradeable blocking agent might prevent the immune response. Osteoarticular allografts of the distal femur were performed in rats and the cut surfaces of the graft were coated with cement before implantation. In a preliminary experiment, six biodegradeable cement materials were tried (bone wax, zinc polycarboxylate, collodion, fibrin adhesive, zinc oxide, and isobutyl-cyanoacrylate). Of these, the zinc oxide cement and isobutyl-cyanoacrylate were effective in inhibiting the immune response observed in control rat distal femur allografts. A second experiment was performed using nine rats with zinc oxide and nine rats with isobutyl-cyanoacrylate cements. These were compared with 20 control rats that had allografts without cement coating. Eighteen of the control rats (90%) developed an immune response, while only 22% (2/9) of the rats with zinc oxide coating and 33% (3/9) of the rats with isobutylcyanoacrylate developed an immune response. In a third experiment distal femur allografts were performed in 13 rats using only the liquid component of the zinc oxide cement.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effectiveness of Lavage Techniques in Removing Immunogenic Elements from Osteochondral Allografts

“…9,16 OCA remains unique among allogeneic transplantation procedures in that it does not involve human leukocyte antigen (HLA) or ABO blood group matching to prevent an immune response; nor do recipient patients receive any form of postoperative immunosuppression. While cytotoxic treatment and freezing of grafts have both been shown to eliminate the host immune response, 17-21 their downstream negative impact on chondrocyte viability precludes their use in OCA. 22 In the search for a treatment modality that can best remove immunogenic marrow elements without subjecting chondrocytes to thermal or cytotoxic insult, our results suggest that improved lavage therapy may be the next step forward.…”

The effects of low-dose radiotherapy on fresh osteochondral allografts: An experimental study in rabbits

“…For local suppression of the immune response, irrigation of the subchondral bone with cytotoxic agents and covering of the subchondral bone with bone cement has been described in cases of fresh OCA. 26 , 27 The aim of the present study was to understand the effects of low-dose radiation on graft-host incorporation and fate of the cartilage.…”