Microfracture plus autologous osteochondral paste transplantation to treat knee cartilage defects in rabbits

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of microfracture plus autologous osteochondral paste transplantation in treatment of knee cartilage defects in rabbits. Methods Models of articular cartilage defects were established in 46 healthy adult male New Zealand rabbits which were divided into 3 groups:control group ( n =10),microfracture group ( n =18) and experiment group ( n =18).In the control group,the cartilage defects were left untreated.In the microfracture group,multiple grid-like mini-holes were made using the microfracture technique.In the experiment group,the defects were covered with autologous osteochondral paste after the grid-like mini-holes were made.At 4,8 and 12 weeks post-treatment,the knees were assessed grossly,histologically,and by glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content measurement and Wakitani scoring. Results After 12 weeks,the defects in the experiment gronp were filled with hyaline-like cartilage tissue,and both the cartilage and the subchondral bone were basically repaired.The repaired cartilage was superior to those in the other groups in terms of gross appearance and histomorphology.The Wakitani histological scores at 4,8 and 12 weeks post-treatment were respectively 5.0 ± 1.0,6.7 ± 1.5 and 13.0 ± 1.0 in the experiment group,2.3 ±0.6,5.0 ± 1.0 and 7.7 ± 1.2 in the microfracture group,and 0.0 ± 0.0,1.3 ± 0.6 and 1.7 ± 0.6 in the control group.The experiment group was significantly better then the other 2 groups in all the above indexes ( P ＜ 0.05 ).The GAG contents at 4,8 and 12 weeks post-treatment were respectively 6.25 ±0.31 μg/mg,13.11 ±0.21 μg/mg and 16.23 ±0.66 μg/mg in the experiment group,and 3.04 ±0.21 ug/mg,5.75 ±0.24 μg/mg and 7.03 ±0.21 μg/mg in the microfracture group,with significant differences between the 2 groups ( P ＜ 0.05). Conclusion Microfracture plus autologous osteochondral paste transplantation may be a promising treatment option for cartilage defects because it is much more effective than microffacture alone. Key words: Knee joint; Arthroplasty; Cartilage, articular; Transplantation, autologous; Wounds and injuries