Biological fixation of fibrous materials to bone using chitin/chitosan as a bone formation accelerator.

Biological fixation or anchorage of fibrous materials to bone by bone ingrowth into the spaces between fibers is a major concern in developing novel medical implants, including artificial ligaments. Toward this end, we evaluated the efficacy of chitin/chitosan as a bone formation accelerator. Specimens of polyester nonwoven fabric coated with chitin/chitosan were implanted into holes drilled into the distal ends of rat femora. Uncoated fabric specimens were used as controls. At 1 or 2 weeks after implantation, the specimens were retrieved, and the fixation strength was measured by mechanical testing. Histological sections of 2‐week implantation specimens were prepared, and the area of new bone tissue formed in the spaces between the fibers of the fabric was measured. The chitin/chitosan coating significantly increased the fixation strength and the area of bone tissue formed in the spaces between the fibers. The mean fixation strength of chitin/chitosan‐coated fabric specimens was more than twice that of the controls at 2 weeks after implantation. These results demonstrated that the chitin/chitosan coating effectively induced bone formation in the spaces between the fibers and enhanced biological fixation of the fibrous materials to the bone. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2009 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]