A review of the biomarkers and in vivo models for the diagnosis and treatment of heterotopic ossification following blast and trauma-induced injuries

摘要

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the process of de novo bone formation in non-osseous tissues. HO can occur following trauma and burns and over 60% of military personnel with blast-associated amputations develop HO. This rate is far higher than in other trauma-induced HO development. This suggests that the blast effect itself is a major contributing factor, but the pathway triggering HO following blast injury specifically is not yet fully identified. Also, because of the difficulty of studying the disease using clinical data, the only sources remain the relevant in vivo models. The aim of this paper is first to review the key biomarkers and signalling pathways identified in trauma and blast induced HO in order to summarize the molecular mechanisms underlying HO development, and second to review the blast injury in vivo models developed.