3D printed porous titanium cages filled with simvastatin hydrogel promotes bone ingrowth and spinal fusion in rhesus macaques
Wen Zhang, Chuiguo Sun, Junxiong Zhu, Weifang Zhang, Huijie Leng, Chunli Song
Abstract
F-NaF PET/CT imaging confirmed that simvastatin/poloxamer 407 hydrogel increased bone blood flow, osteoblastic activity and bone ingrowth; histological analysis demonstrated that simvastatin/poloxamer 407 hydrogel promoted bone ingrowth in and osseointegration around the L4/5 cages; and biomechanical analysis verified that simvastatin/poloxamer 407 hydrogel enhanced spinal fusion. We conclude that 3D-printed porous cages containing simvastatin hydrogel promote bone ingrowth and spinal fusion, which could be a convenient and promising method for clinical translation. Using PET/CT to monitor the osteoblast activity may provide a new method for assessing the intervertebral fusion effect in preclinical study or clinical postoperative evaluation.