Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Early caspase-3 levels predict femoral head bone death after fracture
By Gao, You-Shui et al.·Published in Molecular medicine reports·2012·Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, China·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Caspase-3 may be employed as an early predictor for fracture‑induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head in a canine model.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Eight dogs with surgically induced fractures in their thigh bones developed a serious condition called osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH), which means the bone tissue in their hip joint started to die. After the fractures, the dogs showed signs of bone damage and changes in their hip joints on X-rays, with some fractures not healing properly. A specific protein called caspase-3 was found to be increased in these dogs two weeks after the fractures, indicating that it could help predict the risk of ONFH early on. Unfortunately, all the dogs ended up with ONFH, highlighting the importance of monitoring for this condition after such injuries.
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Abstract
The aim of the current study was to investigate the local expression of caspase-3 following femoral neck fractures in a canine model and to investigate its effect on the occurrence of fracture-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). Eight dogs had surgically-induced femoral neck fractures on the left side which remained untreated. Radiological and histological examinations were employed to detect morphological changes of the femoral head. Immunohistochemical staining of caspase-3 was used to evaluate cell apoptosis, which may play an important role in ONFH. The results were compared to the normal side for statistical analysis. As a result, all eight dogs had ONFH, with non-union in five and malunion in three on radiological examination. Histologically, the untreated femoral heads developed osteonecrosis with an accumulation of bone marrow cell debris, empty lacunae and/or ghost nuclei in the lacunae, and an increase in the number of fat cells. Immunohistochemical staining of caspase-3 indicated that it was upregulated in fracture-induced ONFH two weeks postoperatively, which showed a statistical difference when compared to the normal side. In conclusion, the local expression of caspase-3 was upregulated in fracture-induced ONFH, suggesting that cell apoptosis is crucial in traumatic ONFH. Caspase-3 may therefore be employed as an effective and early predictor for fracture-induced ONFH.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22735815/