The selection criteria for potential bone engineering scaffolds are based chiefly on their relative mechanical comparability to mature bone. In this study, we challenge this notion by obtaining full regeneration of a rabbit ulna critical size defect by employing the elastomeric polymer, poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS). We tested the regeneration facilitated by PGS alone, PGS in combination with hydroxyapatite particles, or PGS seeded with bone marrow stromal cells. We investigated the quantity and quality of the regenerated bone histologically, by microcomputed tomography and by four-point bending flexural mechanical testing at 8 weeks postimplantation. We conclude that the relatively lower stiffness of this biocompatible elastomer allows a load-transducing milieu in which osteogenesis, matrix deposition, and eventual bone maturation can take place. This study's results suggest that PGS elastomer is an auspicious osteoconductive material for the regeneration of bony defects. These results call for an innovative reassessment of the current art of selection for novel bone scaffold materials.
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