Experimental study of polylactic acid-glycolic acid/tricalcium phosphate scaffold repairing the degenerative intervertebral disc

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of collagen modified polylactic acid-glycolic acid/tricalcium phosphate (PLGA/TCP) scaffold combined with human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) to repair the rabbit intervertebral disc degeneration in vivo. Methods The rabbit model of degenerative intervertebral disc was built. Using collagen modified PLGA/TCP scaffold combined with hUC-MSCs implantation for the experimental group, scaffold implantation alone for the control group, and no repairs for the blank group. Rabbit lumbar disc imaging examination was performed 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks after operation, and histological examination was implemented 12 weeks after surgery. Results Measurement of intervertebral disc height and intervertebral space changes found that vertebral degeneration were significantly lower in the experimental group (Brander disc index BDI 0.063±0.011, disc height index DHI 87.6±10.4) when compared to the control group (BDI 0.039±0.006, P=0.014) (DHI 66.8±9.2, P=0.028) and the blank group (BDI 0.033±0.006, P=0.010) (DHI 46.7±7.3, P=0.001). The MRI results showed that the change of T2 value of experimental group (0.760±0.078) was significantly smaller that of the control group (0.600±0.071, P=0.033) and the blank group (0.540±0.093, P=0.015). Immunohistochemistry results showed that type II collagen of intervertebral disc tissue in the experimental group (151.7±10.3) was more than the control group (125.8±9.6, P=0.023) and the blank group (118.2±6.1, P=0.017), and the difference is of significance. Conclusion Collagen modified PLGA/TCP scaffold combined with hUC-MSCs can significantly promote degenerative disc repair, which can be used as a biological method to repair disc degeneration in the future. Key words: Collagen modification; Polylactic acid glycolic acid/tricalcium phosphate; Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells; Intervertebral disc degeneration