ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1639727
This article is part of the Research TopicApplication of Tissue Engineering in Bone, Joints, Ligaments Injuries and Cartilage RegenerationView all 14 articles
The Effect of Rabbit Skeletal Muscle on the Large Segment Autologous bone ectopic Preconstruction of Vascularized Bone Flap
Provisionally accepted
- 1Luoyang Orthopedic-Traumatological Hospital of Henan Province (Henan Provincial Orthopedic Hospital), luoyang, China
- 2Nanyang Central Hospital, Nanyang, China
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Abstract Aim of the study To investigate the spatiotemporal secretion patterns of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) in rabbit skeletal muscle and their effects on the ectopic prefabrication of vascularized osteocutaneous flaps using large-segment autologous bone grafts. Methods Seventy adult Chinese white rabbits (gender-neutral) were randomly assigned: 60 rabbits to the experimental group and 10 to the blank control group. In the experimental group, a 1.5 cm midshaft tibial segment from the left hindlimb was aseptically excised, stripped of soft tissues from the medullary cavity and bone surface, sterilized via high-temperature water bath, and implanted into the right rectus femoris muscle pouch for flap prefabrication. The control group underwent harvesting of a 1.5 cm left tibial midshaft segment and the entire right rectus femoris muscle without implantation. At 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks postoperatively, 10 rabbits in the experimental group were euthanized to harvest the large-segment autologous bone and intact rectus femoris muscle. Specimens were analyzed for: 1. Macroscopic observation of bone remodeling; 2. Histological examination via hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining; 3. Immunofluorescence staining for CD34 (vascularization marker) and type I collagen (bone activity marker); 4. Western blotting to quantify VEGF and BMP-2 expression in muscle tissue. The control group was evaluated using identical methods. Results 1. Macroscopic Observation The experimental group exhibited uneventful wound healing without inflammation. Fibroconnective tissues at the medullary cavity ends and bone cortex surface
Keywords: Large-segment autologous bone, Vascularized osteocutaneous flap, VEGF, BMP-2, Ectopic prefabrication
Received: 02 Jun 2025; Accepted: 14 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 LI, Zhou, Shi and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yanfeng LI, lyzglyf@163.com
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