Dioxin Exposure Impairs BMP-2-Mediated Spinal Fusion in a Rat Arthrodesis Model

Conclusions:
Dioxin treatment significantly inhibited spinal fusion in a rat arthrodesis model, and a prolonged cessation of dioxin exposure facilitated only a partial recovery of bone-healing capacity. This finding indicates that, although the effects of dioxin are persistent, an extended recovery from exposure could potentially restore bone regeneration in vivo.

Clinical Relevance:
Development of a pharmacologic agent that reduces the adverse effects of cigarette smoke on bone-healing could prove useful to orthopaedic surgeons. Since dioxin and other similar cigarette smoke toxins exert their effects through Ahr pathway activation, the receptor represents a potential therapeutic target to improve spinal fusion rates in patients who smoke.

Source: The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - June 17, 2015 Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Hsu, E. L., Sonn, K., Kannan, A., Bellary, S., Yun, C., Hashmi, S., Nelson, J., Mendoza, M., Nickoli, M., Ghodasra, J., Park, C., Mitchell, S., Ashtekar, A., Ghosh, A., Jain, A., Stock, S. R., Hsu, W. K. Tags: Basic Science, Spine Scientific Articles Source Type: research