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The biomechanical and histological effects of platelet-rich plasma on fracture healing

  • Experimental Study
  • Published:
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy Aims and scope

Abstract

Purpose

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) includes growth factors and proteins that accelerate and stimulate bone regeneration and tissue recovery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of PRP on fracture healing in terms of biomechanics and histology.

Methods

Seventy female rats were included in this experimental study. They were divided into three groups: Group I (no PRP, n = 30), Group II (PRP added, n = 30) and Group III (control, n = 10). The left femurs of the rats in Groups I and II were osteotomized and fixed by K-wires. Although no additional intervention was performed on Group I rats, PRP was applied to the fracture sites of Group II rats. The remaining ten rats were used as the control group of the biomechanical test (Group III). In the fourth week, nine femurs from Group I and ten femurs from Group II, and in the ninth week, nine femurs from each group were removed, and bone recovery was assessed histologically according to Modified Lane–Sandhu histological scoring criteria. Three-point bending test was applied to femurs for biomechanical evaluation in the ninth week.

Results

Histological healing was found to be significantly higher in Group II than in Group I (p < 0.05). Furthermore, biomechanical test results showed that healing quantity and bone strength were significantly better in Group II than in Group I (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

PRP is a widely studied material in the physiology of fracture healing. The results of this study demonstrated the ameliorative biomechanical effects of PRP on fracture healing, in addition to accelerating the histological union of fractures. In the light of these results, PRP could be a viable alternative to accelerate the healing of fractures, late unions or non-unions.

Level of evidence

Prospective comparative study, Level II.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Ordu University, Ordu, Turkey

    Yunus Guzel

  2. Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Meram Faculty of Medicine, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey

    Nazım Karalezli, Onur Bilge, Burkay K. Kacira & Serdar Toker

  3. Department of Pathology, Meram Faculty of Medicine, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey

    Hasan Esen

  4. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey

    Hakan Karadag

  5. Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Government Hospital of Beyhekim, Konya, Turkey

    Recep Gani Göncü

  6. Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Hacettepe Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey

    Mahmut Nedim Doral

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  1. Yunus Guzel
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  2. Nazım Karalezli
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Correspondence to Yunus Guzel.

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Guzel, Y., Karalezli, N., Bilge, O. et al. The biomechanical and histological effects of platelet-rich plasma on fracture healing. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 23, 1378–1383 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-013-2734-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-013-2734-2

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