Experimental animal models of osteonecrosis

The objective was to analyze experimental animal models of osteonecrosis (ON) using the femoral head, show advantages and disadvantages, capacity to translate the findings for adult and pediatric orthopaedics, potential model modifications for orthopaedic and rheumatology research. Material and methods The original literature search was conducted on key resources including PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, E-library, and the Springer databank. Literature searches included Russian, English, and Italian studies. The research covered studies of 1980 to 2021 and included important landmarks of laboratory experiments with animal models. Results and discussion Although there was no ON model with ideal conditions found for it, the choice of a model could be based on the researcher’s goal reproducing ON as a type of “osteochondropathy” to explore the results applicable to pediatric orthopaedics or classical ON in adults. Animals with long-term open growth plates, intensive blood circulation in the bone and rapid regeneration being characteristic of juvenile models of rats, rabbits and pigs could be appropriate for the experiment. Dogs, sheep, pigs and emus, in particular, were practical for reproducing ON in adults. Non-traumatic models of ON in adults were reversible and consistent with early stages of the condition. Conclusion The need for ON simulation increased due to progressing orthobiological techniques (PRP-therapy, BMCs technologies, etc.) in the treatment of ON. Application of orthobiological treatment resulted in heterogeneous, scattered outcomes being statistically unreliable and necessitating the search for optimal animal models and assessment of treatment methods for ON in modern orthopaedics.