Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Both fibrin gel and demineralized bone matrix can be used as cartilage tissue engineered scaffolds to culture cartilage seed cells, due to their good biocompatibility and biodegradablity. These materials can act as carriers for growth factors to slow release growth factors and to continuously promote chondrocyte growth.
OBJECTIVE: To verify the feasibility and efficacy of using injectable compound material made of fibrin glue and demineralized bone matrix as a scaffold to delay the progress of early osteoarthritis.
METHODS: A homobody controlled animal experiment was designed. Sixteen rabbits were cut off the anterior cruciate ligament from posterior limbs to prepare knee osteoarthritis model, one side of the knee joint in rabbits was injected with composite scaffold and chondrocyte suspension for the experimental group. The other side of the knee joint was injected with equal volume of saline as the control group. The articular cartilage was harvested 12 weeks later, for respectively hematoxylin-eosin staining, Masson staining, II collagen immunohistochemical staining. In accordance with Wakitani standards and Outerbridge classification, the standard score was redefined, the cartilage degenerations in the two groups were evaluated.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the experimental group, articular cartilage surface was smooth, cartilage lacuna could be seen, the structural cartilage degeneration was lighter than that in control group; chondrocyte and collagen type II were slightly less than normal cartilage, joint capsule tissue exhibited no expression of collagen type II. Comprehensive score of the experimental group was lower than the control group (P < 0.01). Injectable fibrin glue/demineralized bone matrix composite scaffold can provide a good composite scaffold for early osteoarthritis and bone defects.