BONE-MINERAL DENSITY OF LENGTHENED RABBIT TIBIA IS ENHANCED BY TRANSPLANTATION OF FRESH AUTOLOGOUS BONE-MARROW CELLS - AN EXPERIMENT STUDY USING DUAL X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY

Autologous bone marrow cells were transplanted into the primitive call us in the lengthened tibia in young and adult rabbits. Bone mineral de nsity (BMD) in the lengthened callus was evaluated using dual-energy x -ray absorptiometry. Basal BMD in the lengthened callus in the young r abbits was higher than that in the adult rabbits (p < 0.001). Transpla ntation of fresh suspended bone marrow cells increased the BMD in the young (p < 0.01) and adult (p < 0.001) groups. In the young rabbits, l ysate of the bone marrow cells decreased the BMD (p < 0.005). Transpla ntation of cultured colony-forming cells or of separated multinucleate d marrow cells did not increase the BMD. The authors' study indicates that the osteogenesis of the lengthened rabbit tibia is enhanced by tr ansplantation of fresh autologous bone marrow cells.