BONE INDUCTION BY BMP-2 EXPRESSING ADENOVIRAL VECTOR IN RATS UNDER TREATMENT WITH FK506
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) expressing adenoviral vector in vivo. The day before vector injection, immunosuppressant FK506 was given subcutaneously to each rat at doses of 12 mg/kg (Group I), 6 mg/kg (Group II) and 3 mg/kg (Group III). FK506 was not administered to the six rats of the control group. Twenty-five liters of AXCAOBMP-2 (3.93 × 109pfu/ml) were injected into the right calf muscle of all rats. On day 21 after vector injection, all groups were investigated radiologically, histologically, and biochemically. Osteoinduction was seen in the AxCAOBMP-2-injected groups with immunosuppression. However, no bone formation was observed in the control group. These findings suggest that AxCAOBMP-2 has the potential of osteoinduction under transient immunosuppression. AxCAOBMP-2 may be useful for future clinical application in bone reconstruction, if host immunity response can be regulated.