Articular cartilage repair using allogeneic perichondrocyteseeded biodegradable porous polylactic acid (PLA): A tissue-engineering study
✍ Scribed by Chu, Constance R. ;Coutts, Richard D. ;Yoshioka, Makoto ;Harwood, Frederick L. ;Monosov, Anna Z. ;Amiel, David
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1995
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 872 KB
- Volume
- 29
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0021-9304
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Efforts to expand treatment options for articular cartilage repair have increasingly focused on the implantation of cell-polymer constructs. The purpose of this study is to determine the suitability of porous D,D-L,L-polylactic acid as a carrier for delivering repair cells obtained from rib perichondrium into full-thickness articular cartilage defects. In vitro characterization of perichondrocyte-polylactic acid composite grafts was combined with in uivo assessment of the early articular cartilage repair in a clinically relevant model. Using a fluorescent double-stain protocol to visualize live and dead cells in situ, primary cells cultured from perichondrium were found to be capable of attaching to and surviving within a porous D,D-L,L-polylactic acid matrix. These perichondrocyte-polylactic acid composite grafts were then implanted within osteochondral defects drilled into the left medial femoral condyles of 16 adult New Zealand white rabbits. Experimental animals were sacrificed 6 weeks after implantation and the repair tissue was evaluated grossly, histologically, and biochemically. Grossly, 96% (15/16) of the experimental animals demonstrated repairs consisting of a smooth, firm neocartilage which appeared similar in color and texture to the surrounding articular surface. Matrix staining for cartilaginous protein was seen surrounding chondrocyte-like cells in the cartilage regions of the repair. Cellular alignment was found to be related to scaffold architecture. These results suggest that scaffolds composed of porous D,D-L,Lpolylactic acid support the growth of cartilaginous repair tissue and are compatible with both in uitro and in uivo survival of chondrogenic cells.