Use and preservation methods of bone grafts in small animals

The present review describes the main characteristics of bone grafts used in small animals. Bone grafts are tissues without vasculature, which facilitate the production of new bone cells with osteogenic and osteoinductive factors that lead to the differentiation of cells and structural support for bone marrow. The transplant of a graft is followed by three stages: osteogenesis, or the formation of new bone; osteoinduction, which is the differentiation of cells; and osteoconduction, the process of growth of mesenchymal cells and capillaries that results in new bone formation. The composition of bone grafts may include spongy bone, cortical bone, cortical-spongy bone, cartilage or bone marrow. Grafts can also be classified according to their origin, being autogenous tissue when they are transplanted from the same individual, allogenous (homologous) when originating from another individual of the same species, and xenogenous when obtained from a different species