ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:Tissue-engineered bone can be obtained by the combination of chondrocytes and polyglycolic acid scaffold. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of alogeneic chondrocytes/polyglycolic acid scaffold compound in the repair of thyroid cartilage defects in rabbits. METHODS: Twenty New Zealand adult rabbits were randomly divided into experimental group with implantation of alogeneic chondrocytes/polyglycolic acid scaffold compound and control group with implantation of polyglycolic acid scaffold. Gross and histological observations were done at 4 and 8 weeks after implantation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Gross observation results: 4 weeks after surgery, cartilage defects in the experimental group were repaired certainly, and no necrosis appeared in the repair area; in the control group, the defects were filed with muscle and connective tissues. At 8 weeks after implantation, cartilage defects in the experimental group were further repaired, with unclear repair boundaries, and in the control group, cartilage defects were no repaired and showed a notable boundary with the surrounding normal cartilage tissues. (2) Immunohistochemical staining results: the expression of type II colagen in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05) at 4 and 8 weeks after implantation. These findings indicate that the alogeneic chondrocytes/polyglycolic acid scaffold compound can promote the repair of thyroid cartilage defects in rabbits.