Evaluation of the effectiveness of hyaluronic acid plus nanohydroxyapatite versus nanohydroxyapatite alone on bone regeneration in rabbits

Abstract

Background Hyaluronic acid (HLA) occurs naturally in the human body as a key component of the extracellular matrix. Furthering, HLA has a long history of usage in bone regeneration because it can be used as an osteo-promoting materials that can be added to nano-hydroxyapatite particles (HANP) to enhance its osteo-inductive properties. Hence, the purpose of this research was to compare histologically the bone regenerative ability of HLA + HANP versus HANP alone in the treatment of bony defects in rabbit calveria. Materials and methods This trial was conducted on 10 rabbits, where three identical bony defects in calveria were surgically created in each rabbit (with a total of 30 defects), one filled with of HLA + HANP (group I), the other was filled with only HANP (group II) and the third one was left empty as a control (group III). Rabbits were sacrificed at the fourth and eighth weeks postoperatively and samples were collected for histological and histomorphometric analysis. Results All animals survived the experiment successfully and stayed active and alert throughout the study. Both studied groups (I and II) were characterized by greater new bone formation compared to control group. Additionally, the newly formed bone was more evident in association with group I than group II. Conclusion HLA accelerated the initiation of new bone production when coupled with NHAP for bone augmentation in the management of osseous abnormalities.