We thank Amanda Fair, the CMI, and Kathy Sweet and the ORL at UM for assistance with &#181;CT imaging and analysis. Funding: BL Funded by 1K08GM109105-01 and Plastic Surgery Foundation National Endowment Award.

Ethics statement: All animal procedures were carried out in strict accordance with good animal practice as defined in the guidelines provided in the Guide for the Use and Care of Laboratory Animals: Eighth Edition from the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR, 2011) and were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the University of Michigan (PRO0001553).
1. Mouse Surgical Procedures
NOTE: Use 8-10 week old C57BL/6 mice. Other ages, backgrounds, and strains of mice can also be used to test different conditions or genetic make-up. For the tenotomy portion of the procedure, maintain sterile conditions by using face mask, hair bonnet, and sterile gown, gloves, and instruments. Surgical sites should be sterilely prepared with povidone-iodine and sterile draping. Avoid hypothermia by using a veterinary heating pad and warming resuscitation solutions to 37 &#176;C prior to administration.
<ol>
	<li>Anesthetize the mouse using 2.5% inhaled isoflurane. Use a nose cone to leave the dorsum and hind-limbs easily accessible. Adjust the rate of isoflurane administration to maintain appropriate respiratory rate and coloration of mucous membranes and to ensure anesthesia by checking muscle tone, toe pinch, and corneal reflex. Apply bland ophthalmic ointment to the mouse&#8217;s eyes to prevent dry eye injury during the procedure. Maintain adequate body temperature using a veterinary heating pad or warm water circulator beneath the surgical field.</li>
	<li>Administer buprenorphine, 0.1 mg/kg, subcutaneously immediately prior to surgery for analgesia.</li>
	<li>Closely shave the surgical site on the left hind paw using clippers from the heel to the knee.</li>
	<li>Closely shave the dorsum of the mouse, beginning over the spine and extending the shaved area to the left of the dorsal midline, clearing an area at least 2 cm x 3 cm to accommodate the burn injury.</li>
	<li>Prepare the surgical site, including the hind paw to the knee using 3 alternating povidone-iodine scrubs.</li>
	<li>Perform a longitudinal incision along the medial aspect of the left Achilles tendon. Extend the incision so the Achilles tendon can be easily visualized; approximately 0.5 cm.</li>
	<li>Perform an Achilles tenotomy with sharp dissection of the tendon at the midpoint with sharp tissue scissors. Insert one blade of the tissue scissors in the tissue plane beneath the tendon and dissect along the plane until the blade is at the tendon midpoint. Close the scissor blades to sever the tendon sharply. 
	NOTE: Ensure inclusion of all posterior tendons including Gastrocnemius, Soleus, and Plantaris tendons.</li>
	<li>Achieve hemostasis by applying pressure with sterile gauze (there should be minimal bleeding) and close the skin incision with a 5-0 vicryl stitch.</li>
	<li>Perform the dorsal partial thickness burn with an aluminum block weighing 35 g with approximate measurements 2 cm x 2 cm x 3 cm heated to 60 &#176;C in a water bath applied to the shaved dorsum of the mouse for 17 sec. 
	NOTE: Achieve the appropriate burn depth by resting the block on top of the anesthetized mouse, ensuring that the entire surface area of the block is in contact with the mouse, however avoid applying any additional pressure to the block, i.e., allow gravity to be the only force holding the block in place. A thin plastic handle attached to one side of the block is convenient for manipulation, stabilization, and retrieval from the hot water bath. This will create an approximately 30% total body surface area burn in an 8-10 week old C57BL/6 mouse. This contact burn was chosen over other methods (flame or scald burn) due to the uniformity of burn depth over the wound and the reproducibility between animals.</li>
	<li>Dry the burn site with gauze and apply a tegaderm dressing.</li>
	<li>Administer warmed resuscitation fluids: Lactated Ringer&#8217;s solution 1 ml intraperitoneal injection and 0.5 ml subcutaneous injection. This one-time administration of resuscitation is adequate for recovery from the burn injury and tenotomy. 
	NOTE: Do not return anesthetized mice to housing cages with other mice, house individually in clean cages under monitoring until mice are fully recovered. Typical recovery occurs within 1-6 hr. Burn sites generally heal within 2-4 weeks and are rarely complicated by wound infection if kept in clean housing environments.</li>
	<li>Administer Buprenorphine 0.1 mg/kg subcutaneous injection every 12 hr for 3 days following the procedure. Monitor HO growth with serial &#181;CT scans at appropriate intervals. Ectopic bone growth is first evident around 3 weeks post-op by &#181;CT. 
	NOTE: The majority of HO development is complete by 9 weeks post-op. We have not observed a difference in HO volume or location with repeated &#181;CT scans bi-weekly for 15 weeks compared to a single end-point &#181;CT scan at 15 weeks. At the end of the experiments, euthanize all mice with CO2 inhalation according to institutional guidelines and verify death with cervical dislocation after 10 min.</li>
</ol>
2. &#181;CT Acquisition and Analysis
<ol>
	<li>Secure the anesthetized mouse on the scanner bed in the prone position. Tape the hind limbs securely to the bed to prevent breathing motion artifact. Include the air, water, and hydroxyapatite containing phantom beneath the mouse for image calibration.</li>
	<li>Open the Bone Analysis software and define a region of interest (ROI) that encompasses both hind limbs from the hip joint proximally to the tip of the hind paw distally. Obtain an image using the following parameters: 80 kV, 500 &#181;A and 1,300 msec exposure, 48 &#181;m voxel size.14,15</li>
	<li>Calibrate the image to Hounsfield units (HU) by drawing a ROI in each of the three phantom chambers and inputting the average density into the appropriate fields in the software.</li>
	<li>Using the &#8220;grabber&#8221; tool in the software, re-orient the image so the tibia of the left hind limb is parallel along the Z axis to allow the clearest anatomical view for the delineation of orthotopic cortical bone structures and HO.</li>
	<li>Beginning at the knee, scroll distally through the image slices until HO is encountered. Using the manual spline tool, make an ROI around the ectopic bone on every 5th slice continuing distally through the paw or until HO has been surpassed. Use the extrapolate tool to extend and stitch the ROIs together into one ROI that contains all the HO.</li>
	<li>Make a 3D ROI and choose the analysis menu. Calculate the bone volume by setting the lower and upper threshold values that best show the bone window. Use the same fixed threshold values for all scans.</li>
</ol>

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B., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=BMP+type+I+receptor+inhibition+reduces+heterotopic+[corrected]+ossification.">BMP type I receptor inhibition reduces heterotopic [corrected] ossification.</a> Nat Med. 14 (12), 1363-1369 (2008).</li><li>Culbert, A. L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Alk2+regulates+early+chondrogenic+fate+in+fibrodysplasia+ossificans+progressiva+heterotopic+endochondral+ossification.">Alk2 regulates early chondrogenic fate in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva heterotopic endochondral ossification.</a> Stem Cells. 32 (5), 1289-1300 (2014).</li><li>Dinther, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=ALK2+R206H+mutation+linked+to+fibrodysplasia+ossificans+progressiva+confers+constitutive+activity+to+the+BMP+type+I+receptor+and+sensitizes+mesenchymal+cells+to+BMP-induced+osteoblast+differentiation+and+bone+formation.">ALK2 R206H mutation linked to fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva confers constitutive activity to the BMP type I receptor and sensitizes mesenchymal cells to BMP-induced osteoblast differentiation and bone formation.</a> J Bone Miner Res. 25 (6), 1208-1215 (1359).</li><li>Peterson, J. R., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Burn+injury+enhances+bone+formation+in+heterotopic+ossification+model.">Burn injury enhances bone formation in heterotopic ossification model.</a> Ann Surg. 259 (5), 993-998 (2014).</li><li>Scott, M. A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Brief+review+of+models+of+ectopic+bone+formation.">Brief review of models of ectopic bone formation.</a> Stem Cells Dev. 21 (5), 655-667 (2012).</li><li>Tannous, O., Griffith, C., O'Toole, R. V., Pellegrini, V. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Heterotopic+ossification+after+extremity+blast+amputation+in+a+Sprague-Dawley+rat+animal+model.">Heterotopic ossification after extremity blast amputation in a Sprague-Dawley rat animal model.</a> J Orthop Trauma. 25 (8), 506-510 (2011).</li><li>Tannous, O., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Heterotopic+bone+formation+about+the+hip+undergoes+endochondral+ossification:+a+rabbit+model.">Heterotopic bone formation about the hip undergoes endochondral ossification: a rabbit model.</a> Clin Orthop Relat Res. 471 (5), 1584-1592 (2013).</li><li>Peterson, J. 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A., Forsberg, J. A., Potter, B. K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Blast+injuries+and+heterotopic+ossification.">Blast injuries and heterotopic ossification.</a> Bone and Joint Research. 1 (8), 174-179 (2012).</li><li>Hunt, J. L., Arnoldo, B. D., Kowalske, K., Helm, P., Purdue, G. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Heterotopic+ossification+revisited:+a+21-year+surgical+experience.">Heterotopic ossification revisited: a 21-year surgical experience.</a> J Burn Care Res. 27 (4), 535-540 (2006).</li><li>Ring, D., Jupiter, J. 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The authors have nothing to disclose

Heterotopic ossification represents a major functional impairment faced by patients that sustain trauma, burns, and invasive musculoskeletal procedures. The most at-risk population are soldiers in modern conflicts with major blast injuries from mechanisms such as improvised explosive devices (IED).18 Improved body armor and forward positioned medical units allows for improved survival of major extremity injury. After initial stabilization and repair of their extremity injury, these patients are at high risk...

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the formation of ectopic bone in which osteo-potent cells are aberrantly induced to form endochondral bone outside of the skeleton. While the details of the HO formation pathway are still largely unknown, an accepted paradigm includes three key factors: an inflammatory inciting incident, a permissive niche, and mesenchymal stem cells capable of forming bone.1-3 HO is a common comorbidity complicating over 60% of major burn injuries, 65% of combat-related injuries, and 10% of invasive orthopaedic surgery cases.4,5 However, it is often difficult to predict where HO will form because it can occur at sites of local injury or at distant locations that may be otherwise uninjured. This variability in location makes it difficult to intervene prophylactically to prevent reactive bone formation in a locally targeted manner. There are also congenital forms of HO such as fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) in which patients are prone to the development of robust HO in response to minor trauma or inflammatory insult. Powerful animal models using transgenic mice have reproduced this phenotype and provided insight to the molecular pathways that may also be important in trauma induced HO.6-9 Translational research into the pathogenesis of non-congenital HO has used a wide variety of constructs ranging from injury alone to the implantation of exogenous osteo-inductive materials and/or cells.10-13
In our prior work we have validated a simple and reliable model of HO formation in mice which does not require the administration of any exogenous material.14-17 This model created two key conditions to initiate HO: local trauma and global inflammation. This was achieved through the use of an Achilles tenotomy (local trauma) combined with a distant burn injury (global inflammation). Mice received both treatments concurrently and were found to develop a robust amount of HO that could be analyzed by histologic, radiologic, and molecular means. Interestingly, concurrent burn injury significantly increased the amount of HO that formed and accelerated its developmental time-course.14-16 HO developed at predictable sites around the calcaneus, ankle joint, and tibia/fibula of the limb that received the tenotomy. The reliability of HO development at a known location allowed for focused examination of molecular and histologic features in the early stages of ectopic ossification.14,17 To date, 100% of mice (over 50 animals) with a tenotomy and concurrent burn injury have developed HO. Additionally, longitudinal 2D and 3D imaging and spectroscopic analysis were conducted to examine the growth pattern and biochemical make-up of HO.15,16

<table><tbody><tr><td>C57BL/6 mice</td><td>Jackson Laboratory</td><td>664</td><td>8-10 weeks old</td></tr><tr><td>Isoflurane &amp;ndash; Fluriso</td><td>VET one, Boise, ID</td><td>V1 501017</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Buprenorphine &amp;ndash; Buprenex</td><td>Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare</td><td>NDC 12496-0757-1</td><td>0.3 mg/ml solution</td></tr><tr><td>Betadine</td><td>Owens and Minor, Mechanicsville, VA</td><td>2047PVP202</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>5-0 Vicryl sutures</td><td>Ethicon, Summerville, NJ</td><td>J493</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Tegaderm Film, 6 cm x 7 cm</td><td>3M</td><td>1624W</td><td>Cut in half to properly cover burn site</td></tr><tr><td>&amp;micro;CT - GE eXplore Locus SP</td><td>GE Healthcare Pre-Clinical Imaging, London, ON, Canada</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Microview 2.2 Advanced Bone Analysis Application</td><td>GE Healthcare Pre-Clinical Imaging, London, ON, Canada</td><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

direct mouse trauma/burn model of heterotopic ossification

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the formation of bone outside of the skeleton which forms following major trauma, burn injuries, and orthopaedic surgical procedures. The majority of animal models used to study HO rely on the application of exogenous substances, such as bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), exogenous cell constructs, or genetic mutations in BMP signaling. While these models are useful they do not accurately reproduce the inflammatory states that cause the majority of cases of HO. Here we describe a burn/tenotomy model in mice that reliably produces focused HO. This protocol involves creating a 30% total body surface area partial thickness contact burn on the dorsal skin as well as division of the Achilles tendon at its midpoint. Relying solely on traumatic injury to induce HO at a predictable location allows for time-course study of endochondral heterotopic bone formation from intrinsic physiologic processes and environment only. This method could prove instrumental in understanding the inflammatory and osteogenic pathways involved in trauma-induced HO. Furthermore, because HO develops in a predictable location and time-course in this model, it allows for research to improve early imaging strategies and treatment modalities to prevent HO formation.

In this present study, the protocol is described for the previously published mouse model of trauma/burn induced HO.14-17 This involves the creation of concurrent localized musculoskeletal injury with an Achilles tenotomy and global inflammatory insult with a partial thickness burn injury. This results in the reliable formation of reactive bone at the tenotomy site which can be followed with serial imaging. To date, all mice (more than 50) that have sustained both Achilles tenotomy and burn injury have develop...

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Direct Mouse Trauma/Burn Model of Heterotopic Ossification

An Achilles tenotomy and burn injury model of heterotopic ossification allows for the reliable study of trauma induced ectopic bone formation without the application of exogenous factors.

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the formation of bone outside of the skeleton which forms following major trauma, burn injuries, and orthopaedic surgical ...

direct-mouse-traumaburn-model-of-heterotopic-ossification

Universidad de Cartagena UDEC

Research

JoVE Journal

Medicine

10.0K Views.  University of Michigan Medical School. An Achilles tenotomy and burn injury model of heterotopic ossification allows for the reliable study of trauma induced ectopic bone formation without the application of exogenous factors.

Video: Direct Mouse Trauma/Burn Model of Heterotopic Ossification

Pseudofracture: An Acute Peripheral Tissue Trauma Model

Following trauma there is an early hyper-reactive inflammatory response that can lead to multiple organ dysfunction and high mortality in trauma patients; this response is often accompanied by a delayed immunosuppression that adds the clinical complications of infection and can also increase mortality.1-9 Many studies have begun to assess these changes in the reactivity of the immune system following trauma.10-15 
Immunologic studies are greatly supported through the wide variety of transgenic and knockout mice available for in vivo modeling; these strains aid in detailed investigations to assess the molecular pathways involved in the immunologic responses.16-21
The challenge in experimental murine trauma modeling is long term investigation, as fracture fixation techniques in mice, can be complex and not easily reproducible.22-30
This pseudofracture model, an easily reproduced trauma model, overcomes these difficulties by immunologically mimicking an extremity fracture environment, while allowing freedom of movement in the animals and long term survival without the continual, prolonged use of anaesthesia. The intent is to recreate the features of long bone fracture; injured muscle and soft tissue are exposed to damaged bone and bone marrow without breaking the native bone.
The pseudofracture model consists of two parts: a bilateral muscle crush injury to the hindlimbs, followed by injection of a bone solution into these injured muscles. The bone solution is prepared by harvesting the long bones from both hindlimbs of an age- and weight-matched syngeneic donor. These bones are then crushed and resuspended in phosphate buffered saline to create the bone solution.
Bilateral femur fracture is a commonly used and well-established model of extremity trauma, and was the comparative model during the development of the pseudofracture model. Among the variety of available fracture models, we chose to use a closed method of fracture with soft tissue injury as our comparison to the pseudofracture, as we wanted a sterile yet proportionally severe peripheral tissue trauma model. 31
Hemorrhagic shock is a common finding in the setting of severe trauma, and the global hypoperfusion adds a very relevant element to a trauma model. 32-36 The pseudofracture model can be easily combined with a hemorrhagic shock model for a multiple trauma model of high severity. 37

Pseudofracture, a reproducible murine model of sterile musculoskeletal trauma, allows for evaluation of late term post-traumatic immune responses. This article describes the procedural execution of the model step by step, including the potential for experimental model combinations to permit study of multiple trauma.

Following trauma there is an early hyper-reactive inflammatory response that can lead to multiple organ dysfunction and high mortality in trauma patients; ...

Intratibial Osteosarcoma Cell Injection to Generate Orthotopic Osteosarcoma and Lung Metastasis Mouse Models

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone cancer in children and adolescents, with lungs as the most common metastatic site. The five-year survival rate of osteosarcoma patients with pulmonary metastasis is less than 30%.Therefore, the utilization of mouse models mimicking the osteosarcoma development in humans is of great significance for understanding the fundamental mechanism of osteosarcoma carcinogenesis and pulmonary metastasis to develop novel therapeutics. Here, detailed procedures are reported to generate the primary osteosarcoma and pulmonary metastasis mouse models via&#160;intratibia injection of osteosarcoma cells. Combined with the bioluminescence or X-ray live imaging system, these living mouse models are utilized to monitor and quantify osteosarcoma growth and metastasis. To establish this model, a basement membrane matrix containing osteosarcoma cells was loaded in a micro-volume syringe and injected into one tibia of each athymic mouse after being anesthetized. The mice were sacrificed when the primary osteosarcoma reached the size limitation in the IACUC-approved protocol. The legs bearing osteosarcoma and the lungs with metastasis lesions were separated. These models are characterized by a short incubation period, rapid growth, severe lesions, and sensitivity in monitoring the development of primary and pulmonary metastatic lesions. Therefore, these are ideal models for exploring the functions and mechanisms of specific factors in osteosarcoma carcinogenesis and pulmonary metastasis, the tumor microenvironment, and evaluating the therapeutic efficacy in vivo.

The present protocol describes intratibia osteosarcoma cell injection to generate mouse models bearing orthotopic osteosarcoma and pulmonary metastasis lesions.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone cancer in children and adolescents, with lungs as the most common metastatic site. The five-year survival ...

Cancer Research

A Mouse Distraction Osteogenesis Model

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is a surgical procedure that involves skeletal tissue regeneration without cell transplantation. A DO model consists of the following three phases: the latency phase after osteotomy and placement of the external distractor; the distraction phase, wherein the separated bone ends are gradually and continuously distracted; and the consolidation phase. This custom-made distractor used for DO is comprised of two incomplete acrylic resin rings and an expansion screw. The process was initiated by making a mold with silicone impression material and then creating the custom-made distractor. Dental resin was poured into the formwork made of silicone impression material, and it was allowed to polymerize to create the incomplete resin rings required for the custom-made distractor. These rings were fixed with an expansion screw using transparent resin. The custom-made distractor created via this approach was attached to the tibia of mice. The tibia was fixed to the device using one pair of 25 G needles proximally, one pair of 27 G needles distally, and acrylic resin. After a latency period of 5 days, distraction was initiated at a rate of 0.2 mm/12 h. The lengthening was continued for 8 days, resulting in a total gap of 3.2 mm. The mice were sacrificed 4 weeks after distraction. Bone formation in the distraction gap was confirmed using both radiography and histology.

We present a mouse tibial distraction osteogenesis model developed using a custom-made distractor. The use of a mouse as an analysis target is advantageous for advancing research.

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is a surgical procedure that involves skeletal tissue regeneration without cell transplantation. A DO model consists of the ...

Developmental Biology

Adult Mouse Digit Amputation and Regeneration: A Simple Model to Investigate Mammalian Blastema Formation and Intramembranous Ossification

Here, we present a protocol of adult mouse distal terminal phalanx (P3) amputation, a procedurally simple and reproducible mammalian model of epimorphic regeneration, which involves blastema formation and intramembranous ossification analyzed by fluorescence immunohistochemistry and sequential in-vivo microcomputed tomography (&#956;CT). Mammalian regeneration is restricted to amputations transecting the distal region of the terminal phalanx (P3); digits amputated at more proximal levels fail to regenerate and undergo fibrotic healing and scar formation. The regeneration response is mediated by the formation of a proliferative blastema, followed by bone regeneration via intramembranous ossification to restore the amputated skeletal length. P3 amputation is a preclinical model to investigate epimorphic regeneration in mammals, and is a powerful tool for the design of therapeutic strategies to replace fibrotic healing with a successful regenerative response. Our protocol uses fluorescence immunohistochemistry to 1) identify early-and-late blastema cell populations, 2) study revascularization in the context of regeneration, and 3) investigate intramembranous ossification without the need for complex bone stabilization devices. We also demonstrate the use of sequential in vivo &#956;CT to create high resolution images to examine morphological changes after amputation, as well as quantify volume and length changes in the same digit over the course of regeneration. We believe this protocol offers tremendous utility to investigate both epimorphic and tissue regenerative responses in mammals.

Here, we present a protocol of adult mouse terminal phalanx amputation to investigate mammalian blastema formation and intramembranous ossification, analyzed by fluorescent immunohistochemistry and sequential in-vivo microcomputed tomography.

Here, we present a protocol of adult mouse distal terminal phalanx (P3) amputation, a procedurally simple and reproducible mammalian model of epimorphic ...

A Simple Critical-sized Femoral Defect Model in Mice

While bone has a remarkable capacity for regeneration, serious bone trauma often results in damage that does not properly heal. In fact, one tenth of all limb bone fractures fail to heal completely due to the extent of the trauma, disease, or age of the patient. Our ability to improve bone regenerative strategies is critically dependent on the ability to mimic serious bone trauma in test animals, but the generation and stabilization of large bone lesions is technically challenging. In most cases, serious long bone trauma is mimicked experimentally by establishing a defect that will not naturally heal. This is achieved by complete removal of a bone segment that is larger than 1.5 times the diameter of the bone cross-section. The bone is then stabilized with a metal implant to maintain proper orientation of the fracture edges and allow for mobility. 
Due to their small size and the fragility of their long bones, establishment of such lesions in mice are beyond the capabilities of most research groups. As such, long bone defect models are confined to rats and larger animals. Nevertheless, mice afford significant research advantages in that they can be genetically modified and bred as immune-compromised strains that do not reject human cells and tissue.
Herein, we demonstrate a technique that facilitates the generation of a segmental defect in mouse femora using standard laboratory and veterinary equipment. With practice, fabrication of the fixation device and surgical implantation is feasible for the majority of trained veterinarians and animal research personnel. Using example data, we also provide methodologies for the quantitative analysis of bone healing for the model.

Animal models are frequently employed to mimic serious bone injury in biomedical research. Due to their small size, establishment of stabilized bone lesions in mice are beyond the capabilities of most research groups. Herein, we describe a simple method for establishing and analyzing experimental femoral defects in mice.

While bone has a remarkable capacity for regeneration, serious bone trauma often results in damage that does not properly heal. In fact, one tenth of all ...

A Mouse Model of Orthopedic Surgery to Study Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction and Tissue Regeneration

Surgery is commonly used to improve and maintain quality of life. Unfortunately, in vulnerable patients such as the elderly, complications may occur and significantly diminish the outcome. Indeed, after routine orthopedic surgery to repair a fracture, as many as 50% of elderly patients suffer from neurologic complications like delirium. Also, the capacity to heal and regenerate tissue after surgery decreases with age, and can impact the quality of fracture repair and even osseous integration of implants. Thus, a better understanding of mechanisms that drive these age-dependent changes could provide strategic targets to minimize risk for such complications and optimize outcomes. Here, we introduce a clinically relevant mouse model of tibial fracture. The postoperative changes in these mice mimic some of the cognitive impairments commonly observed after routine orthopedic surgery in humans. Briefly, an incision is performed in the right hind limb under strictly aseptic conditions. Muscles are disassociated, and a 0.38-mm stainless steel pin is inserted into the upper crest of the tibia, inside the intramedullary canal. Osteotomy is then performed, and the wound is stapled. We have used this model to investigate the effects of surgical trauma on postoperative neuroinflammation and behavioral changes. By applying this fracture model in combination with parabiosis, a surgical model in which 2 mice are anastomosed, we have studied cells and secreted factors that systemically rejuvenate organ function and tissue regeneration after injury. By following our step-by-step protocol, these models can be reproduced with high fidelity, and can be adapted to interrogate many biologic pathways that are altered by surgical trauma.

This protocol describes a mouse model of orthopedic surgery that has been used to study mechanisms of postoperative neuroinflammation and behavioral changes, and when combined with parabiosis, to study tissue regeneration during aging.

Surgery is commonly used to improve and maintain quality of life. Unfortunately, in vulnerable patients such as the elderly, complications may occur and ...

A Mouse Model of Mechanotransduction-driven, Human-like Hypertrophic Scarring

Hypertrophic scarring (HTS) is an abnormal process of wound healing that results in excessive scar tissue formation. Over the past decade, we have demonstrated that mechanotransduction&#8212;the conversion of mechanical stimuli into cellular responses&#8212;drives excessive fibrotic scar healing. A mouse model to assess human-like hypertrophic scarring would be an essential tool for examining various therapeutics and their ability to reduce scarring and improve healing. Specifically, our laboratory has developed a murine wound model that increases mechanical strain to promote human-like HTS. This&#160;protocol utilizes biomechanical loading devices, made from modified 13 mm palatal expanders, whose arms are placed on either side of the incision and distracted incrementally apart in order to apply continuous tension across the wound bed during healing. Over nearly two decades of use, this model has been significantly advanced to improve efficacy and reproducibility. Using the murine HTS model, significant dermal fibrotic scars can be induced to be histologically comparable to human hypertrophic scars. This murine model provides an environment to develop biologics involved in the treatment of HTS and mechanotransduction-related conditions such as foreign body response.

This protocol will explain how to establish a hypertrophic scarring murine model that increases mechanotransduction signaling to simulate human-like scarring. This method involves increasing mechanical tension across a healing incision in a mouse and using a specialized device to create reproducible, excessive scar tissue for detailed histological and bioinformatic analyses.

Hypertrophic scarring (HTS) is an abnormal process of wound healing that results in excessive scar tissue formation. Over the past decade, we have ...

Bioengineering

The Tibial Fracture-Pin Model: A Clinically Relevant Mouse Model of Orthopedic Injury

The tibial fracture-pin model is a mouse model of orthopedic trauma and surgery that recapitulates the complex muscle, bone, nerve, and connective tissue damage that manifests with this type of injury in humans. This model was developed because previous models of orthopedic trauma did not include simultaneous injury to multiple tissue types (bone, muscle, nerves) and were not truly representative of human complex orthopedic trauma. The authors therefore modified previous models of orthopedic trauma and developed the tibial fracture-pin model. This modified fracture model consists of a unilateral open tibial fracture with intramedullary nail (IMN) internal fixation and simultaneous tibialis anterior (TA) muscle injury, resulting in mechanical allodynia that lasts up to 5 weeks post injury. This series of protocols outlines the detailed steps to perform the clinically relevant orthopedic trauma tibial fracture-pin model, followed by a modified hot plate assay to examine nociceptive changes after orthopedic injury. Taken together, these detailed, reproducible protocols will allow pain researchers to expand their toolkit for studying orthopedic trauma-induced pain.

The tibial fracture-pin model is a clinically relevant model of orthopedic trauma comprising a unilateral open tibial fracture with intramedullary nail internal fixation and simultaneous injury to the tibialis anterior muscle. Thermal sensitivity in this model can be measured using a 45 s hot plate paradigm.

The tibial fracture-pin model is a mouse model of orthopedic trauma and surgery that recapitulates the complex muscle, bone, nerve, and connective tissue ...

Neuroscience

A Murine Model of a Burn Wound Reconstructed with an Allogeneic Skin Graft

Trivial superficial wounds heal without complications by primary intention. Deep wounds, such as full thickness burns, heal by secondary intention and require surgical debridement and skin grafting. Successful integration of the donor graft into a recipient wound bed depends on timely recruitment of immune cells, robust angiogenic response and new extracellular matrix formation. The development of novel therapeutic agents, which target some key processes involved in wound healing, are hindered by the lack of reliable preclinical models with optimized objective assessment of wound closure. Here, we describe an inexpensive and reproducible model of experimental full thickness burn wound reconstructed with an allogeneic skin graft. The wound is induced on the dorsum surface of anaesthetized inbred wild type mice from the BALB/C and SKH1-Hrhr backgrounds. The burn is produced using a brass template measuring 10 mm in diameter, which is preheated to 80 &#176;C and delivered at a constant pressure for 20 s. Burn eschar is excised 24 hours after the injury and replaced with a full thickness graft harvested from the tail of a genetically similar donor mouse. No specialized equipment is required for the procedure and surgical techniques are straightforward to follow. The method may be effortlessly implemented and reproduced in most research settings. Certain limitations are associated with the model. Due to technical difficulties, the harvest of thinner split thickness skin grafts is not possible. The surgical method we describe here allows for the reconstruction of burn wounds using full thickness skin grafts. It may be used to carry out preclinical therapeutic testing.

The aim of this study was to develop a murine model of burn wound healing. A thermal burn was induced on the dorsal skin of mice using a preheated brass template. Burned tissue was debrided and overlaid with a skin graft harvested from the tail of a genetically similar donor mouse.

Trivial superficial wounds heal without complications by primary intention. Deep wounds, such as full thickness burns, heal by secondary intention and ...

Biology

Alkali Burn-Induced Corneal Neovascularization in Mice

A Mouse Model for Corneal Neovascularization by Alkali Burn

Corneal neovascularization (CoNV), a pathological form of angiogenesis, involves the growth of blood and lymph vessels into the avascular cornea from the limbus&#160;and adversely&#160;affects transparency and vision. Alkali burn is one of the most common forms of ocular trauma that leads to CoNV. In this protocol, CoNV is experimentally induced using sodium hydroxide solution in a controlled manner to ensure reproducibility. The alkali burn model is useful for understanding the pathology of CoNV and can be extended to study angiogenesis in general because of the avascularity, transparency, and accessibility of the cornea. In this work, CoNV was analyzed by direct examination under a dissecting microscope and by immunostaining flat-mount corneas using anti-CD31 mAb. Lymphangiogenesis was detected on flat-mount corneas by immunostaining using anti-LYVE-1 mAb. Corneal edema was visualized and quantified using optical coherence tomography (OCT). In summary, this model will help to advance existing neovascularization assays and discover new treatment strategies for pathologic ocular and extraocular angiogenesis.

Author Spotlight: Decoding Corneal Neovascularization with Alkali Burn Model for Future Therapeutic Strategies 

This protocol focuses on alkali burn-induced corneal neovascularization in mice. The method generates a reproducible and controllable corneal disease model to study pathological angiogenesis and the associated molecular mechanisms and to test new pharmacological agents to prevent corneal neovascularization.

Corneal neovascularization (CoNV), a pathological form of angiogenesis, involves the growth of blood and lymph vessels into the avascular cornea from the ...