In vivo testing of a biodegradable woven fabric made of bioactive glass fibers and PLGA80-A pilot study in the rabbit

The purpose of this study was to perform an intra‐animal comparison of biodegradable woven fabrics made of bioactive glass (BG) fibers and poly(L‐lactide‐co‐glycolide) 80/20 copolymer (PLGA80) fibers or PLGA80 fibers alone, in surgical stabilization of bone graft. The BG fibers (BG 1‐98) were aimed to enhance bone growth at site of bone grafting, whereas the PLGA component was intended to provide structural strength and flexibility to the fabric. Bone formation was analyzed qualitatively by histology and quantitatively by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) at 12 weeks. The surgical handling properties of the control PLGA80 fabric were more favorable. Both fabrics were integrated with the cortical bone surfaces, but BG fibers showed almost complete resorption. There were no signs of adverse local tissue reactions. As a proof of material integration and induced new bone formation, there was a significant increase in bone volume of the operated femurs compared with the contralateral intact bone (25% with BG/PLGA80 fabric, p < 0.001 and 28% with the control PLGA80 fabric, p = 0.006). This study failed to demonstrate the previously seen positive effect of BG 1‐98 on osteogenesis, probably due to the changed resorption properties of BG in the form of fibers. Therefore, the feasibility and safety of BG as fibers needs to be reevaluated before use in clinical applications. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2010.