Combining platelet rich fibrin with different bone graft materials: An experimental study on the histopathological and immunohistochemical aspects of bone healing.

AIM: The current study was based on the hypothesis that the use of PRF with bone graft materials might increase bone regeneration and focus on the histopathological and immunohistochemical aspects following application of PRF with autogenous graft, xenograft and B-TCP in a rabbit model.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was performed on the twenty-eight male New Zealand divided into four group. Two defects with a diameter 10 mm were opened in calvarium. After PRF preparation, right defects were evaluated as empty defect or graft group, and left defects were evaluated as PRF test group. All animals were sacrificed at the end of 8 weeks and specimens were examined histopathologically and immunohistochemically.

RESULTS: The most superior histopathological results were obtained in the autograft group. The combination of β-TCP-PRF could not provide superiority over the β-TCP group. The immunohistochemical results showed that, in the PRF/BTCP group, the expression of osteopontin and osteonectin was relatively higher compared to the only-BTCP group.

CONCLUSION: In terms of new bone formation, autograft combined with PRF yielded superior results but the combination of β-TCP-PRF had no effect compared to the only-BTCP group. However, further experimental and clinical studies might be beneficial to clarify the exact mechanism and results of combining PRF with bone grafts on bone healing process.