Sequential Release of Panax Notoginseng Saponins and Osteopractic Total Flavone from Poly (_L-Lactic Acid) Scaffold for Treating Glucocorticoid-Associated Osteonecrosis of Femoral Head

Abstract

Glucocorticoids inhibit angiogenesis in the femoral head, which fails to nourish the bone tissue and leads to osteonecrosis. Restoring angiogenesis is not only essential for vessel formation, but also crucial for osteogenesis. Poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) is commonly used in the bone tissue engineering field. Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) and osteopractic total flavone (OTF) promote angiogenesis and osteogenesis, respectively. We designed a sequentially releasing PLLA scaffold including PLLA loaded with OTF (inner layer) and PLLA loaded with PNS (outer layer). We assessed the osteogenic effect of angiogenesis in this scaffold by comparing it with the one-layered scaffold (PLLA embedded with OTF and PNS) in vivo. Results from the micro-CT showed that the data of bone mineral density (BMD), bone volume (BV), and percent bone volume (BV/TV) in the PO-PP group were significantly higher than those in the POP group (p p p < 0.05). Upregulating the expressions of angiogenic and osteogenic proteins might be the possible mechanism.

Keywords

• Poly (_L-lactic acid)
• osteopractic total flavone
• panax notoginseng saponins
• osteogenesis
• angiogenesis