Abstract
Background
Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a prevalent orthopedic condition characterized by the disruption of blood supply to the femoral head, leading to ischemia of internal tissues, subchondral bone fractures, necrosis, and eventual collapse of the weight-bearing portion of the femoral head. This condition results in severe functional impairment, pain, and even disability of the hip joint. Existing animal models of ONFH have limitations in replicating the natural disease progression accurately. Thus, there is a critical need to develop a novel animal model capable of better simulating localized pressure on the human femoral head to facilitate ONFH-related research.
Methods
In this study, we present a novel approach for modeling ONFH, which involves integrating stress factors into the modeling process through the utilization of 3D printing technology and principles of biomechanics. A total of 36 animals were randomly assigned to six groups, where they received either the novel modeling technique or the traditional hormone induction method. Subsequently, an 8-week treatment period was implemented, followed by conducting micro-CT scans and histological evaluations to assess tissue outcomes.
Results
The study evaluated the cytotoxicity of the material used in the new model, and it was observed that the material did not exhibit any cytotoxic effects on cells. Additionally, the novel model successfully replicated the pathological features of ONFH, including femoral head collapse, along with a substantial presence of empty bone lacunae, cartilage defects, and subchondral bone fractures in the subchondral bone region.
Conclusion
In conclusion, our study provides evidence that the new model shows the ability to simulate the progression of the disease, making it a valuable tool for research in this field and can contribute to the development of better treatment strategies for this debilitating condition. It holds great promise for advancing our understanding of the pathogenesis of ONFH and the potential therapeutic interventions for this challenging clinical problem.
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Introduction
Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is one of the most common orthopedic diseases in clinical practice [1, 2]. It is characterized by an interruption of blood supply to the femoral head due to venous stasis or arterial insufficiency, leading to ischemia of the internal tissues of the femoral head [3]. This, in turn, can result in subchondral bone fracture, necrosis, and collapse of the weight-bearing portion of the femoral head, causing severe functional impairment, pain, and even disability of the hip joint [4]. Non-traumatic avascular necrosis of the femoral head (NONFH) is the main cause of disability in young people, with the misuse of hormones and alcohol greatly increasing its incidence [5, 6]. Currently, femoral head collapse is considered to be the final stage of NONFH [7]. The severe pain and functional impairment caused by femoral head collapse greatly affect patients' quality of life, making the prevention and delay of femoral head collapse an effective approach to preventing and treating NONFH [8, 9].
Current research indicates that the construction of animal models for ONFH can be broadly categorized into several types of modeling methods, including physical methods [10], alcohol-induced methods [11], hormone-induced methods [12], and surgical trauma-induced methods [13]. Nevertheless, these models suffer from the drawback of inducing widespread femoral head necrosis, and to date, no animal model has been established to fully recapitulate the pathological and physiological processes of human ONFH. This represents a significant impediment to the advancement of femoral head necrosis research [ This study has developed a novel method for modeling femoral head necrosis that incorporates stress factors using 3D printing technology and principles of biomechanics. This approach enhances the fidelity of the model to the clinical scenario and improves its utility as an experimental platform for osteonecrosis of the femoral head. The technique holds promise for advancing our understanding of the pathogenesis and potential therapeutic interventions for this debilitating condition.Conclusion
Availability of data and materials
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.
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Funding
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No: 82272503).
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YL made significant contributions in research conceptualization and design, implementation of experiments, data collection, and analysis. JZ made significant contributions in implementation of experiments, data collection, analysis, and manuscript writing. YZ made significant contributions in research conceptualization, design, and manuscript writing. RT made significant contributions in research conceptualization, design and manuscript writing. PY made significant contributions in research conceptualization, design, and critically revising important content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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This study was approved by the ethics committee of t the Ethics Committee of **'an Jiaotong University School of Medicine (Ethics Approval No.: 2021–1413) and was carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association.
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Li, Y., Zhang, J., Zhao, Y. et al. A novel animal model of osteonecrosis of the femoral head based on 3D printing technology. J Orthop Surg Res 18, 564 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13018-023-04050-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13018-023-04050-7