Effects of low dose FGF-2 and BMP-2 on healing of calvarial defects in old mice

• Published in: Experimental gerontology 2015-04, Vol.64, p.62-69
• Main Authors: Charles, Lyndon F., Woodman, Jessica L., Ueno, Daisuke, Gronowicz, Gloria, Hurley, Marja M., Kuhn, Liisa T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aging; Animals; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 - pharmacology; Bone Regeneration - drug effects; Female; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 - pharmacology; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Osteogenesis - drug effects; Skull - diagnostic imaging; Skull - pathology; Wound Healing - drug effects; X-Ray Microtomography
• ISSN: 0531-5565; 1873-6815
• DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2015.02.006

There is an age-associated reduction in the bone healing activity of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) that is currently addressed by administering higher doses of BMP-2 in elderly patients. The unwanted medical complications from high dose BMP-2 motivated this investigation to determine whether the addition of a low dose of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) could enhance the ability of a lower dose of BMP-2 to heal calvarial bone defects in old mice (18–20months old). FGF-2 (5ng) and BMP-2 (2μg) were administered by a controlled release two-phase biomaterial scaffold placed into the bone defect. FGF-2 released more rapidly and completely in vitro than BMP-2 (40% vs 2%). In vivo, both BMP-2 and FGF-2+BMP-2 groups formed more new bone in calvarial defects than scaffold alone (p