The purpose of this study was to investigate the biocompatibility of viscos
e cellulose sponge (VCS) with bone. Twenty-five Sprague-Dawley rats were us
ed for the study. After curettage of the bone marrow from both femoral cavi
ties, VCS (15 x 1 x 1 mm) was implanted into one femur, leaving the contral
ateral side empty as a control. The rats were killed 1-6 weeks after curett
age, and bone formation inside the sponge was assessed by light-microscopic
examination and histomorphometric assessment. Whereas normal bone formatio
n in rat femoral cavity took place in 2 weeks after curettage, 4 weeks were
needed for bone formation in the cellulose sponge. VCS is a compatible mat
rix for osseous tissue ingrowth and it may be useful as a scaffold for bone
tissue engineering in experiments and possibly also in clinical practice.