ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the use of fibrin sealant as a carrier for known osteoinductive substances, such as demineralized bone and osteogenin. A major challenge in the field of bone induction is the development of a suitable biocompatible and biodegradable carrier for bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). The carrier plays an important role in bone induction. It should place the BMPs at the desired location for bone deposition, prevent the prolapse of soft tissue into the skeletal defect, enable bone ingrowth, and maintain bony contours if necessary. Commercial fibrin sealant from pooled, virally-inactivated human plasma has been used clinically as a hemostatic agent in Europe and Canada. At twenty-eight days postimplantation, most of the demineralized bone particles that were either implanted alone or in a fibrin sealant matrix showed trabecular bone formation. Fibrin sealant also imparts desirable handling characteristics to the osteoinductive implants.
