Reconstruction of bone defects caused by malignant tumors is carried out in different ways. At present, tumor-bearing bone segments are devitalized mainly by extracorporeal irradiation or autoclaving but both methods have substantial disadvantages. In this regard, high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment of bone is a new advancing technology which has been used in preclinical testing to inactivate normal cells and tumor cells without alteration of the biomechanical and biological properties of bone, tendons or cartilage. The aim of this study was to examine the ex vivo effect of HHP on cell growth of normal freshly resected small human bone segments. For this, bone segments of 5x5x5 mm in size obtained during surgery from 36 patients with non-malignant bone disease were exposed to HHP levels of 0, 150, 200 and 250 MPa for 10 min at 37° C. Following HHP-treatment, specimens were placed into cell culture and observed for cell outgrowth for 50 days. In control samples (0 MPa), rapid outgrowth of cells was observed. HHP-treatment of 150 MPa, however, resulted in reduced outgrowth of cells from these bone specimens; at 200 and 250 MPa no outgrowth of cells was detected. These results are in line with scanning electron microscopic images of treated and untreated bone specimens. At 150 MPa bone cells exhibited drastic changes in cell morphology as exemplified by cell membrane ruffling. Furthermore, a significant difference in proliferating ability could be detected between bone cells of variable anatomical origin. However, this difference did not significantly affect the sensitivity to HHP. In concomitant observation, the studied bone cells could be immunocytochemically identified as osteoblasts and fibroblasts. Therefore, in orthopedic surgery, HHP is considered as a novel, promising methodical approach for bone sterilization, including tumor cell inactivation, without alterating the biomechanical and biological properties of bone before subsequent reimplantation.
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Reconstruction of bone defects caused by malignant tumors is carried out in different ways. At present, tumor-bearing bone segments are devitalized mainly by extracorporeal irradiation or autoclaving but both methods have substantial disadvantages. In this regard, high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment of bone is a new advancing technology which has been used in preclinical testing to inactivate normal cells and tumor cells without alteration of the biomechanical and biological properties of...
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