Title : A goat model of a long bone fracture healing with cockle shell-based calcium carbonate bone paste
Abstract:
Long bone fractures in animals are a common orthopaedic condition. There are several methods for repairing the fracture. Bone grafting is required when there is a large gap after the reduction of a fractured bone. However, there are certain drawbacks, such as limited donor volume and donor site morbidity, that require the use of substitutes. Cockle shell-based calcium carbonate has recently been employed as a bone biomaterial in the veterinary field, with encouraging results. As a result, we chose to evaluate its efficacy as a bone biomaterial for healing femur bones in goats. Nine healthy adult male Black Bengal goats aged 12–13 months with an 8kg body weight were selected. There are two groups: control and treatment. Intramedullary pinning stabilised an 8-mm diaphyseal fracture in the right femur of the treated and control groups. In the fracture gap, the treatment group received 2 ml of cockle shell-based calcium carbonate bone paste. We conducted radiographic, ultrasonographic, and serum measurements on days 7, 15, 30, 45, and 60 as part of the research parameters. Evaluation of gross and histopathological findings on the 60th day after surgery. The radiographic examination demonstrated significant amounts of callus development in the treatment group, as compared to the control group, demonstrating faster bone growth. The ultrasound scan revealed superior fracture union characteristics in the bone paste group compared to the control group. Biochemical examination of the serum revealed significant increases in calcium levels. The animals were assessed 60 days after implantation for gross, and histological healing. It is understandable that, upon gross examination, the treated group had more callus development on the fracture sides in comparison to the control group. The histopathological examination showed that the endochondral ossification process had sped up, with more osteocytes, osteoblasts, and osteoclasts than in the control group and higher numbers of bony spicules. In addition, the treated group had a higher concentration of osteoblasts in close proximity to the periosteum, while the control group showed a greater frequency of fibroblasts. These findings demonstrated that the treated group had greater osteogenic activity compared to the control group. This study indicates the potential of seashell-derived calcium carbonate as a synthetic biomaterial for the healing of bone fractures in goats.
