EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON THE INCORPORATION AND ANTIGENICITY OF STERILIZED BONE-GRAFTS

The aim of our study was to observe the incorporation and induced immu ne response of sterilized bone allografts. We performed an orthotopica l tibial segment transplantation using two different inbred rat strain s. We compared irradiated (25 kGy), autoclaved (134 degrees C) and cry opreserved (-80 degrees C) bone grafts. The observation took place 6 a nd 12 weeks post-operativelely. Results: The incorporation of irradiat ed grafts took longer than cryopreserved transplants. Autoclaved graft s were not incorporated and only bridged by new callus formation. A ce ll-mediated immune response against the cryopreserved grafts could be demonstrated. Irradiated grafts induced a minor immune response; autoc laved grafts did not. Conclusion: There seems to be a correlation betw een loss of antigenicity and failure of graft incorporation. Therefore , it seems probable, that some bone antigenicity is necessary for the induction of cellular mechanisms during graft incorporation.