Fig. 7.

In vivo analysis on osseointegration. Using an in vivo PJI model, the efficacy of the antibiotic composite coatings (antibiotics loaded into PLGA and PCL are denoted as shown in Fig. 1E) in promoting osseointegration was evaluated (n = 5 mice per group). (A) Representative histomorphometry sections of undecalcified bone/implant specimens stained with Sanderson’s rapid bone stain with an acid fuchsin counterstain. (Scale bar, 500 µm.) (B) Mean percentage bone-implant contact ± SEM (red arrows denote examples of coating on the implants and white arrows denote examples of bone contact to the coated implants) (n = 3 mice per group). (C) Biomechanical pullout testing was used to measure the force (mean N ± SEM) required to pull the threaded implants from the femurs (n = 5 mice per group). *P < 0.05, ^†P < 0.01, ^‡P < 0.001 for antibiotic-loaded coatings vs. −/− control coating or −/− coating in uninfected (sterile) mice (two-tailed unpaired Student’s t test).