Experimental study on regeneration of articular cartilage defects in rabbits with bone marrow stromal cells / 中华创伤骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe whether the full-thickness defects of articular cartilage at the knee joint of rabbits could be repaired by implantation of polyglycolic-acid(PGA) composites adhered with bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). Methods Culture-expanded rabbits’BMSCs were seeded onto porous PGA scaffolds. After a 72-hour co-culturing, the cell-adhered PGA was implanted into the articular cartilage defect at the intercondylar fossa of the femur. The rabbits were sacrificed 12 weeks later after the operation and the specimens were examined histologically for morphologic features, and stained immunohistochemically for type Ⅱcollagen. Results The specimens harvested from BMSCs-PGA composite demonstrated a hyaline cartilage formation. No obvious progressive degeneration sign was found in the newly formed tissue. The control groups showed no hyaline-like cartilage formation. Conclusion PGA composites adhered with in vitro culture-expanded autologous BMSCs can facilitate formation of hyaline-like cartilage in rabbits.