Experimental study of bone formation from autogenous periosteal graft following insulin-like growth factor I administration

The present study evaluates the effect of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) administration on bone formation following grafted periosteum. Twenty-four Japanese white rabbits were randomly assigned into one IGF-I administered group (1 mg for 14 days) and a second control group. Grafted periosteum taken from the tibia was placed under the submandibular muscles. At 14, 21, and 28 days following the operation, the grafted periosteum was extirpated and examined. Throughout all stages of the experiment, active bone formation was confirmed histologically and radiographically in both control and experimental groups. In addition, a micro-CT scan was used to observe three-dimensional micro structures in newly formed bone and to measure the trabecular bone thickness as a marker of bone development. As a result, a significant increase in bone formation in the IGF-I group was observed when compared with the findings in the control group. Trabecular bone thickness in the IGF-I group was significantly greater when compared with the control group at 14 days and 21 days following grafting (P < 0.01). At 28 days following grafting, there were no significant differences, suggesting that administration of IGF-I may play an important role in inducing bone formation from grafted periosteum in the early stages. (C) 1999 European Association for Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery.