Effects of concurrent use of royal jelly with hydroxyapatite on bone healing in rabbit model: radiological and histopathological evaluation

Applications of honeybee-derived products in bone tissue engineering

Nowadays, there is an increasing prevalence of bone diseases and defects caused by trauma, cancers, infections, and degenerative and inflammatory conditions. The restoration of bone tissue lost due to trauma, fractures, or surgical removal resulting from locally invasive pathologies requires bone regeneration. As an alternative to conventional treatments, sustainable materials based on natural products, such as honeybee-derived products (honey, propolis, royal jelly, bee pollen, beeswax, and bee venom), could be considered. Honeybee-derived products, particularly honey, have long been recognized for their healing properties. There are a mixture of phytochemicals that offer bone protection through their antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. This review aims to summarize the current evidence regarding the effects of honeybee-derived products on bone regeneration. In conclusion, honey, propolis, royal jelly, beeswax, and bee venom can potentially serve as natural products for promoting bone health.

Comparison Capacity of Collagen Hydrogel and Collagen/Strontium Bioglass Nanocomposite Scaffolds With and Without mesenchymal Stem Cells in Regeneration of Critical Sized Bone Defect in a Rabbit Animal Model

Bone self-healing is limited and requires additional or external intervention to promote and accelerate bone regeneration. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential capacity of hydrogel collagen (Co) nanocomposite alone, and in combination with 2% strontium (Co/BGSr2%) in presence of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in full-thickness bone defect regeneration in the rabbit animal model. A total of 72 New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided in 6 groups of 12 rabbits with full-thickness bone defect. In five groups, the bone defect was treated with MSC, Co, Co/BGSr2%, Co + MSCs, and Co/BGSr2% + MSCs. No treatment was done in the control group. The treatments were assessed radiographically, histopathologically, and immunohistochemically on days 14, 28, 42, and 56 post-treatment. The highest radiographical and histological scores were belonged to the Co/BGSr2% + MSC followed by Co + MSCs, Co/BGSr2%, Co, MSC, and the control groups. The highest and lowest mean expression level of osteocalcin was detected in the Co/BGSr2% + MSC and control groups by 28th dayof post-implantation, respectively. In contrast, the highest and lowest mean expression level of osteocalcin on day 56 post-implantation was belonged to the control and Co/BGSr2% + MSC, respectively. The Co/BGSr2% nanocomposite scaffold seeded with MSC can accelerate bone regeneration resulted from osteoblastic production of osteocalcin protein. Therefore, collagen hydrogel combined with 2% strontium in nanocomposite form is a suitable candidate scaffold for bone tissue engineering.

Comparison capacity of collagen hydrogel, mix-powder and in situ hydroxyapatite/collagen hydrogelscaffolds with and without mesenchymal stem cells and platelet-rich plasma in regeneration of critical sized bone defect in a rabbit animal model

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of developed collagen (Co) hydrogel (CH), powder-mixed hydroxyapatite/collagen (HA/Co) hydrogel and in situ synthesized HA/Co (In/HA/Co) hydrogel with or without mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on the regeneration of full-thickness critical size bone defect in the rabbit animal model. In the first step of this study, the scaffolds were synthesized and characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microcopy. In the second step or animal study, the radial bone defects were filled with the synthesized scaffolds with and without MSC and PRP. One hundred sixty one year-old New Zealand white male rabbits were randomly divided in 16 groups of 10 rabbits including control with bone defect without treatment, In/HA/Co, HA/Co, CH, PRP, MSC, CH + PRP, HA/Co, In/HA/Co + PRP, HA/Co + PRP, CH + MSC, In/HA/Co + MSC, HA/Co + MSC, CH + PRP + MSC, In/HA/Co + PRP + MSC, and HA/Co + PRP + MSC. The created defects were filled using the constructed scaffolds alone or seeded with MSCs, with and without PRP injection. The treatments were assessed using histopathological, immunohistochemical and rediographical analysis on days 14, 28, 42, 56 post-treatment. The plate-like HA particles were distributed homogeneously in the in situ HA/Co scaffold compared to the HA/Co scaffold and had a similar structure to bone with carbonated plate-like HA particles and nanofibrilated Co matrix. In situ HA/Co nanocomposite seeded with MSC and enriched by PRP can accelerate bone regeneration resulted from osteoblastic production of osteocalcin protein. Therefore, in situ HA/Co hydrogel seeded with MSC and PRP can be a new approach for bone tissue engineering.

The Potential of Honeybee Products for Biomaterial Applications

The development of biomaterials required continuous improvements in their properties for new tissue engineering applications. Implants based on biocompatible materials and biomaterial-based dressings are susceptible to infection threat; moreover, target tissues can suffer injuring inflammation. The inclusion of nature-derived bioactive compounds usually offers a suitable strategy to expand or increase the functional properties of biomaterial scaffolds and can even promote tissue healing. Honey is traditionally known for its healing property and is a mixture of phytochemicals that have a proven reputation as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant agents. This review discusses on the potential of honey and other honeybee products for biomaterial improvements. Our study illustrates the available and most recent literature reporting the use of these natural products combined with different polymeric scaffolds, to provide original insights in wound healing and other tissue regenerative approaches.