Subject(s)
Abdominal Pain/etiology , Hypertension, Renovascular/etiology , Mesenteric Ischemia/etiology , Mesenteric Vascular Occlusion/etiology , Renal Artery Obstruction/etiology , Takayasu Arteritis/complications , Angioplasty , Antihypertensive Agents/therapeutic use , Female , Humans , Hypertension, Renovascular/diagnosis , Hypertension, Renovascular/therapy , Mesenteric Ischemia/diagnostic imaging , Mesenteric Ischemia/therapy , Mesenteric Vascular Occlusion/diagnostic imaging , Mesenteric Vascular Occlusion/therapy , Renal Artery Obstruction/diagnostic imaging , Renal Artery Obstruction/therapy , Steroids/administration & dosage , Takayasu Arteritis/diagnosis , Takayasu Arteritis/drug therapy , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Treatment Outcome , Young AdultABSTRACT
Few therapeutic options exist for meniscus repair after injury. Local delivery of growth factors may stimulate repair and create a favorable environment for engineered replacement materials. In this study we assessed the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) (a pro-mitotic agent) and transforming growth factor ß3 (TGF-ß3) (a pro-matrix formation agent) on meniscus repair and the integration/maturation of electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds for meniscus tissue engineering. Circular meniscus repair constructs were formed and refilled with either native tissue or scaffolds. Repair constructs were cultured in serum-containing medium for 4 and 8weeks with various growth factor formulations, and assessed for mechanical strength, biochemical content, and histological appearance. Results showed that either short-term delivery of bFGF or sustained delivery of TGF-ß3 increased integration strength for both juvenile and adult bovine tissue, with similar findings for engineered materials. While TGF-ß3 increased proteoglycan content in the explants, bFGF did not increase DNA content after 8weeks of culture. This work suggests that in vivo delivery of bFGF or TGF-ß3 may stimulate meniscus repair, but that the time course of delivery will strongly influence success. Further, this study demonstrates that electrospun scaffolds are a promising material for meniscus tissue engineering, achieving comparable or superior integration compared with native tissue.