Development of a Novel Internal Fixation Model for Rat Radial Fractures: Fracture Healing Assessment and Dorsal Root Ganglion Isolation

The rat radial fracture model is of significant importance in orthopedic research, particularly for studying fracture-healing mechanisms, drug screening, and evaluating biological materials. Despite certain limitations, its role in scientific research remains irreplaceable. Since the radius of rats is relatively thin, the steel plates and screws currently used in clinical practice are not suitable for the treatment of rat radial fractures. To address this limitation, this study innovatively employs suture and titanium needle fixation, an internal fixation model for radial fractures that provides relatively stable fixation and establishes a robust animal model for investigating internal fixation of such fractures. In vivo imaging was performed using a live-animal micro-CT system to detect radial fracture healing in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The extraction and application of the rat DRG are important steps in neuroscience research, widely used in fields such as neuroscience, pathology, and cell biology. This protocol is suitable for the primary culture of dorsal root ganglion neurons from rats with radial fractures and can be used to study mechanisms of nerve injury and repair after fractures, such as neuronal apoptosis and neurotransmitter release.