Semaphorin3A promotes osseointegration of titanium implants in osteoporotic rabbits

Objective In the present study, we intend to assess the function of Sema3A in osteointegration of titanium implants both in vivo and in vitro. Material and methods Briefly, Sema3A was transfected in HBMSCs cells to detect its effect on osteogenesis. Subsequently, an in vivo rabbit model was established. Eighteen female rabbits were randomly assigned into three groups (n=6), and rabbits in the two treatment groups (OVX groups) were subjected to bilateral ovariectomy, while those in the control group were treated with sham operation. Twelve weeks later, we first examined expression levels of Sema3A in rabbits of the three groups. Titanium implants were implanted in rabbit proximal tibia. Specifically, rabbits in sham group were implanted with Matrigel, while the remaining in the OVX experimental group (OVX+Sema3A group) and OVX group were implanted with Matrigel containing Sema3A adeno-associated virus or empty vector, respectively. Results Histomorphometry results uncovered that rabbits in the OVX+Sema3A group had a significantly higher BIC compared with those of the OVX group on the 12th week of post-implantation. And compared with the OVX group, the maximum push-out force increased by 89.4%, and the stiffness increased by 39.4%, the toughness increased by 63.8% in the OVX+Sema3A group at 12 weeks. Conclusion Sema3A has a positive effect on promoting early osseointegration of titanium implants in osteoporotic rabbits.

Automated summary

The study aims to evaluate the role of Sema3A in osteointegration of titanium implants in osteoporotic rabbits through in vivo and in vitro experiments. The results showed that Sema3A significantly improved the bone-implant contact and mechanical properties of the implants in the animals.