ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) results from an interruption of the blood supply to the femoral head or injury-caused death of chondrocytes and bone marrow components. Many osteogenesis-related factors, such as Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), osteoprotegerin and osteocalcin, are involved in the subsequent repair process. The Runx2 gene has been shown to control osteoblast differentiation and formation by upregulating the transcription of various mineralization-related protein genes, alowing osteoblast precursors differentiation into osteoblasts, and playing a key role in bone repair. METHODS/DESIGN:This retrospective, single-center, non-randomized, paralel-controled trial was performed at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, China. Fifteen patients with ONFH and 15 patients with osteoarthritis undergoing total hip replacement were included. Primary measure was Runx2messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in femoral head and neck tissue, and secondary measures included BMP-2, BMP-7 and osteoprotegerin mRNA expression, as wel as osteocalcin immunoreactivity. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT02735538) and acquired written approval from the Ethics Committee of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University (approval No. 2016PS222K). Written informed consent was obtained from each included patient. DISCUSSION:This study involved in the detection of mRNA expression of several bone repair-related genes, including Runx2, in the femoral head and neck of patients with ONFH was performed between 2010 and 2011. This observational study wil help clarify the role and possible clinical significance of Runx2 in femoral head necrosis, bone repair and reconstruction.
