Effect of vascular endothelial growth factor on vascular regeneration of reconstructed posterior cruciate ligament allograft transplantation in rabbits

Yinghua SUN; Li WANG; Zhaode JIAO

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Currently,the research of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) construction mainly focuses on the surgical technique or graft selection. However,studies on vascular regeneration after construction are few,especially those on allograft construction.

OBJECTIVE:

To observe the effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on vascular regeneration of reconstructed PCL with femur-anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-tibia allograft in rabbits. DESIGN,TIME AND

SETTING:

The factorial design experiment was performed at the Orthopedics Laboratory of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical College from March 2006 to September 2007. MATERIALS Sixty-eight adult female Japanese white rabbits,weighing (3.3?0.1) kg,were adopted. Twenty-three of them were used to excide the femur-ACL-tibia complexes to establish the animal model of PCL reconstruction with allograft.

METHODS:

Forty-five rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups,15 rabbits in each group. In the control group,no additional treatments were applied. In the phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) group,0.2 mL of PBS was injected into the knee joint. In the VEGF group,30 ?g VEGF mixed with 0.2 mL PBS was injected into the knee joint. MAIN OUTCOME

MEASURES:

The immunological rejection of allograft was observed after reconstruction. Five rabbits were randomly selected in each group at 3,6,12 weeks,respectively,for immunohistochemistry staining; and the microvessel density of the medio-one-third ligament part of allograft was evaluated with the Chalkley scoring method.

RESULTS:

Forty-five rabbits were involved in the result analysis. There were no hydrops articuli or aneretic cartilage when every rabbit’s knee joint was opened. The gross morphology of the grafts was similar to normal posterior cruciate ligament. Immunological rejection,such as degeneration,necrosis,dilapsus or defluxion was not appeared. Plenty of good vascular tissue in the arthrosis could be seen in the VEGF group,but could not be found in the control group or in the PBS group. The microvessel density score of the allograft in the VEGF group was higher than that in the control group and PBS group (P