Arthroscopic posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using autologous and allogeneic materials and the association with matrix metalloproteinases 2 / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Self-healing ability of the posterior cruciate ligament is poor, and the degradation and synthesis of extracellular matrix often follow the ligament repair. The matrix metalloproteinase family plays a critical role in the dynamic equilibrium between the matrix degradation and synthesis. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of arthroscopic reconstruction of the posterior cruciate ligament, and to study its correlation with matrix metalloproteinase 2 level. METHODS: Sixty patients with posterior cruciate ligament rupture were studied, including 37 cases of autologous reconstruction and 13 cases of allogeneic reconstruction. Ligament and synovial cells from traumatic amputation patients with no ligament injury in the corresponding period were collected. Lysholm and Tegner scores were detected before and after operation. The results of postoperative drawer test were analyzed. The tibial displacement of the posterior cruciate ligament after autologous reconstruction and allogeneic reconstruction was compared. The posterior cruciate ligament cells were cultured alone or co-cultured with synovial cells, and then the level of matrix metalloproteinase 2 protein was detected. In addition, operation time, incision length, postoperative fever time and gender differences were also detected and compared.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Tibial displacement, irrespective of genders, was higher in the allogeneic reconstruction group than the autologous reconstruction group, while there were no significant differences in the posterior drawer test between the two reconstruction groups as well as between males and females. Postoperative Lysholm and Tegner scores were both improved significantly (P < 0.01). As time went by, the level of matrix metalloproteinase 2 had an increasing trend in the posterior cruciate ligament cells cultured alone or co-cultured with synovial cells, but the level in the co-culture group was higher than that in the single culture group. For both male and female, the autologous reconstruction group showed a longer operative time (P < 0.05 or 0.01) and a longer incision length (P < 0.01), as compared with the allogeneic reconstruction group, while the time of fever was significantly longer in the allogeneic reconstruction group (P < 0.01). Results from the last follow-up show that the autologous reconstruction is better than the allogeneic reconstruction to restore the stability of posterior cruciate ligament and shorten fever time, but longer operative time and surgical incision as well as increased level of matrix metalloproteinase 2 cannot be ignored.