Review Article

Platelet-Rich Plasma Peptides: Key for Regeneration

Table 3

Platelet-plasma-derived peptides are current in clinical use and clinical trials.

YearResearchersHealth problemsClinical protocolsLevel of evidenceResults

2005Carreon et al.Bone healing in instrumented posterolateral spinal fusionsRetrospective cohort study to evaluate rates of nonunionin patients (n = 76) with autologous iliac bone graft augmented with platelet gelLevel 4, case control group of 76 randomly selected patients who were matched and grafted with autogenous iliac bone graft with no platelet gelNonunion rate in platelet gel group was 25%; 17% in control group ( 𝑃 = . 1 8 )

2006Mishra and PavelkoChronic elbow tendinitisCohort, 15 patients injected with PRPLevel 2, 5 controlsDecreased pain at 2 years (measured by visual analog pain score)
Savarino et al.Bone healing in varus HTOs for genu varusRandomized case control, 5 patients with bone grafted with bone chips and PRPLevel 4, 5 controls bone grafted without PRPNo functional or clinical difference; histology shows increased amounts of osteoid and osteoblasts in PRP group

Sánchez et al.Achilles tear healingCase control, 6 repairs with PRPLevel 3, 6 matched retrospective controlsImproved ROM and early return to activity with PRP by ± 4–7 weeks
2007Dallari et al.Bone healing in varus HTOs for genu varusProspective randomized control: group A, bone chips with platelet gel (n = 11); group B, bone chips, BMC, and platelet gel (n = 12)Level 1, 10 controls treated with bone chips onlyBiopsies at 6 weeks after surgery showed increased osteoid and osteoblasts in groups A and B; radiographic differences decreased with time; no clinical difference at 1 year among groups
Kitoh et al.Bone healing in distraction osteogenesis for limb lengthening and short statureRetrospective, comparison case control; at 3 weeks, patients injected with expanded BMC with or without PRP (n = 32 bones)Level 3, 60 bones in retrospective control group (high % of congenital etiologies versus PRP group)Average healing in BMC + PRP was 34 ± 4 d/cm; control group average was 73.4 ± 27 d/cm ( 𝑃 = . 0 0 3 )

2009Sánchez et al.Bone healing in nonunionsRetrospective, case series; 16 nonhypertrophic nonunions treated with either surgery and PRGF or percutaneous injections of PRGF to stimulate (n = 3) without surgeryLevel 4, no control group84% healed after surgical treatment; unclear if PRGF made a difference

Some published human clinical orthopaedic PRP studies. PRP: platelet-rich plasma; ROM: range of motion; HTO: high tibial osteotomy; BMC: bone marrow cells; PRGF: preparation rich in growth factors [27]. Taken from Foster et al. [27].