Effects of Ankaferd BloodStopper on bone healing in an ovariectomized osteoporotic rat model

Recent Updates on Viral Oncogenesis: Available Preventive and Therapeutic Entities

Human viral oncogenesis is a complex phenomenon and a major contributor to the global cancer burden. Several recent findings revealed cellular and molecular pathways that promote the development and initiation of malignancy when viruses cause an infection. Even, antiviral treatment has become an approach to eliminate the viral infections and prevent the activation of oncogenesis. Therefore, for a better understanding, the molecular pathogenesis of various oncogenic viruses like, hepatitis virus, human immunodeficiency viral (HIV), human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), could be explored, especially, to expand many potent antivirals that may escalate the apoptosis of infected malignant cells while sparing normal and healthy ones. Moreover, contemporary therapies, such as engineered antibodies antiviral agents targeting signaling pathways and cell biomarkers, could inhibit viral oncogenesis. This review elaborates the recent advancements in both natural and synthetic antivirals to control viral oncogenesis. The study also highlights the challenges and future perspectives of using antivirals in viral oncogenesis.

Comparison of the effectiveness of Ankaferd Blood Stopper® and Emdogain in periodontal regeneration

OBJECTIVES

The present study was performed to compare the effectiveness of Ankaferd Blood Stopper^® (ABS) with enamel matrix derivatives (EMD) for treating fenestration defects in rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups (each n = 8). Fenestration defects were created in all rats, to which ABS, EMD, or saline (S) was then applied. The rats were grouped and sacrificed at one of two different time points, as follows: ABS-10-group, ABS-treatment/sacrifice on day 10; EMD-10-group, EMD-treatment/sacrifice on day 10; S-10-group, S-treatment/sacrifice on day 10; ABS-38-group, ABS-treatment/sacrifice on day 38; EMD-38-group, EMD-treatment/sacrifice on day 38; and S-38-group, S-treatment/sacrifice on day 38. Then, histomorphometric analysis including measurements of new bone area (NBA) and new bone ratio (NBR), and immunohistochemical analysis including the determination of osteopontin (OPN) and type-III-collagen (C-III) expression were performed.

RESULTS

The NBA and NBR were significantly higher in the ABS-10-group and EMD-10-group compared to the S-10-group (p < .05), and in the EMD-38-group compared to the S-38-group (p < .05). The levels of C-III and OPN immunoreactivity were significantly higher in the ABS-10-group compared to the S-10-group (p < .017).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study suggested that ABS can promote early periodontal regeneration, although its efficacy seems to decrease over time.

The preventive effect of medicinal herbal extract and gelatin sponge on alveolar osteitis: An in vivo micro-computed tomography and immunohistochemical analysis in rats

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the preventive effect of medicinal herbal extract (MHE) and gelatin sponge on alveolar osteitis (AO) in an experimental rat model.

DESIGN

Twenty-one Sprague-Dawley male rats with a mean age of 12 weeks were used. After extraction of the maxillary right first molar, an AO model was created for each animal. The animals were randomly separated to three equal groups. Group I served as a control, Group II was subjected to an intra-alveolar MHE application, and gelatin sponge was left in the sockets of Group III. On the 7th post-extraction day, the animals were sacrificed. The specimens were analyzed by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), histopathologically and immunohistochemically.

RESULTS

Macroscopic evaluation revealed mild to intense signs of AO in all groups, but the difference was not significant (p < 0.05). Micro-CT analysis showed that bone formation was the highest in Group III (bone volume/total volume; 10.63 ± 4.9 %), whereas bone mineral density was the highest in Group I (2.05 ± 0.2 g/cm³). The difference was not significant (p > 0.05). In Group III, only 16.7 % of specimens showed no signal of inflammatory response (p < 0.01). The difference was not significant between the positive labeling for receptor activator of nuclear kappa-β (RANK), receptor activator of nuclear kappa-β ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin and osteopontin, but the intensity of Groups II and III was higher than the Group I for osteopontin (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

MHE and gelatin sponge were not effective enough to prevent alveolar osteitis, but positive results were obtained in bone healing.

Orthobiologics with phytobioactive cues: A paradigm in bone regeneration

Bone injuries occur due to various traumatic and disease conditions. Healing of bone injury occurs via a multi-stage intricate process. Body has the potential to rectify most of the bone injuries but some severe traumatic cases with critical size defects may require interventions. Autografts are still considered the "gold standard" for fracture healing but due to limitations associated with it, new alternatives are warranted. The field of orthobiologics has provided novel approaches using scaffolds, bioactive molecules, stem cells for the treatment of bone defects. Phyto-bioactives have been widely used in alternative medicine and folklore practices for curing bone ailments. It is believed that different bioactive constituents in plants work synergistically to give the therapeutic efficacy. Bioactives in plants extracts act upon different signal transduction pathways aiding in bone healing. The present review focuses on the use, chemical composition, mode of delivery, mechanism of action, and possible future strategies of three medicinal plants popularly used in traditional medicine for bone healing: Cissus quadrangularis, Withania somnifera and Tinospora cordifolia. Plants extracts seem to be a natural and non-toxic therapeutic alternative in treating bone injuries. Most of the studies on bone healing for these plants have reported oral administration of the extracts and presented them as a safe alternative without any side effects despite giving higher doses. Forthcoming studies could be directed towards the local delivery of extracts at the defect site. Unification of herbal extracts and orthobiologics could be an interesting direction in the field of bone healing in future. The present review intends to provide a bird's eye view of different strategies used in bone healing, mechanisms involved and future direction of advancements using phytobioactives and orthobiologics.

Histopathological and mechanical effects of Ankaferd Blood Stopper® on wound healing in rats: an experimental model

Background/aim

To evaluate the histopathological and mechanical effects of Ankaferd Blood Stopper (ABS) application on wound healing.

Materials and methods

A total of 24 Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into three equal groups. In each group, a 3 cm-long midline vertical skin incision was performed in the back of the rats. In Group 1, the incision was sutured primarily. In Group 2, incision was left to secondary healing. In Group 3, ABS was applied to the incision. On the 10th day, burst pressure width was measured, and rats were sacrificed. The tissue samples were examined histopathologically. Statistical analysis was conducted with IBM SPSS program. P < 0.05 was considered significant.

Results

The mean burst pressure widths of wound separation were 13.66 ± 0.457, 7.18 ± 2.599, and 13.66 ± 1.11 mm for Groups 1–3, respectively. The difference in burst pressure width between Groups 1 and 3 was not significant (P > 0.05) but was significant between Groups 2 and 3 (P = 0.000). The vascular proliferation median values were 1, 2, and 2, for Groups 1–3, respectively. Although the difference was significant between Groups 1 and 2 in terms of vascular proliferation score (P = 0.047), no significant difference was observed between Group 3 and others. No statistically significant difference was observed among the groups in terms of collagen score, mononuclear cell infiltration, and polymorphonuclear cell proliferation (P > 0.05). The median values of fibroblast proliferation score were 1, 2, and 3, in Groups 1–3, respectively. Fibroblast proliferation score significantly differed between Groups 1 and 3 (P = 0.003).

Conclusion

ABS application results in a clean wound healing that is as strong as primary repair. However, additional studies are required to evaluate the late results of increased fibroblastic activity in the early period of ABS application alone.

Guided osteoporotic bone regeneration with composite scaffolds of mineralized ECM/heparin membrane loaded with BMP2-related peptide

Introduction

At present, the treatment of osteoporotic defects poses a great challenge to clinicians, owing to the lower regeneration capacity of the osteoporotic bone as compared with the normal bone. The guided bone regeneration (GBR) technology provides a promising strategy to cure osteoporotic defects using bioactive membranes. The decellularized matrix from the small intestinal submucosa (SIS) has gained popularity for its natural microenvironment, which induces cell response.

Materials and methods

In this study, we developed heparinized mineralized SIS loaded with bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2)-related peptide P28 (mSIS/P28) as a novel GBR membrane for guided osteoporotic bone regeneration. These mSIS/P28 membranes were obtained through the mineralization of SIS (mSIS), followed by P28 loading onto heparinized mSIS. The heparinized mSIS membrane was designed to improve the immobilization efficacy and facilitate controlled release of P28. P28 release from mSIS-heparin-P28 and its effects on the proliferation, viability, and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal stem cells from ovariectomized rats (rBMSCs-OVX) were investigated in vitro. Furthermore, a critical-sized OVX calvarial defect model was used to assess the bone regeneration capability of mSIS-heparin-P28 in vivo.

Results

In vitro results showed that P28 release from mSIS-heparin-P28 occurred in a controlled manner, with a long-term release time of 40 days. Moreover, mSIS-heparin-P28 promoted cell proliferation and viability, alkaline phosphatase activity, and mRNA expression of osteogenesis-related genes in rBMSCs-OVX without the addition of extra osteogenic components. In vivo experiments revealed that mSIS-heparin-P28 dramatically stimulated osteoporotic bone regeneration.

Conclusion

The heparinized mSIS loaded with P28 may serve as a potential GBR membrane for repairing osteoporotic defects.