Abstract
BackgroundCurrent research aims to develop innovative approaches to improve chondral and osteochondral regeneration. The objective of this study was to investigate the regenerative potential of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to enhance the repair process of a collagen-hydroxyapatite scaffold in osteochondral defects in a sheep model.MethodsPRP was added to a new, multi-layer gradient, nanocomposite scaffold that was obtained by nucleating collagen fibrils with hydroxyapatite nanoparticles. Twenty-four osteochondral lesions were created in sheep femoral condyles. The animals were randomised to three treatment groups: scaffold, scaffold loaded with autologous PRP, and empty defect (control). The animals were sacrificed and evaluated six months after surgery.ResultsGross evaluation and histology of the specimens showed good integration of the chondral surface in both treatment groups. Significantly better bone regeneration and cartilage surface reconstruction were observed in the group treated with the scaffold alone. Incomplete bone regeneration and irregular cartilage surface integration were observed in the group treated with the scaffold where PRP was added. In the control group, no bone and cartilage defect healing occurred; defects were filled with fibrous tissue. Quantitative macroscopic and histological score evaluations confirmed the qualitative trends observed.ConclusionsThe hydroxyapatite-collagen scaffold enhanced osteochondral lesion repair, but the combination with platelet growth factors did not have an additive effect; on the contrary, PRP administration had a negative effect on the results obtained by disturbing the regenerative process. In the scaffold + PRP group, highly amorphous cartilaginous repair tissue and poorly spatially organised underlying bone tissue were found.
Highlights
Current research aims to develop innovative approaches to improve chondral and osteochondral regeneration
We tested if the combination of scaffold and autologous plateletrich plasma (PRP) would further improve the good results previously obtained with the scaffold alone by increasing the regeneration process of the osteochondral unit
Many in vitro studies suggested that growth factors contained in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) may be useful for enhancing both the chondral and osseous component of the osteochondral regeneration induced by the scaffold
Summary
Current research aims to develop innovative approaches to improve chondral and osteochondral regeneration. The objective of this study was to investigate the regenerative potential of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to enhance the repair process of a collagen-hydroxyapatite scaffold in osteochondral defects in a sheep model. Promising results are obtained with the tissue Following this rationale, in a previous animal study we tested a recently developed composite scaffold, composed of Type I collagen and nanostructured hydroxyapatite (HA), which mimics the biochemical and biophysical properties of the different layers of native osteochondral structures [5,6]. We tested if the combination of scaffold and autologous plateletrich plasma (PRP) would further improve the good results previously obtained with the scaffold alone by increasing the regeneration process of the osteochondral unit. The addition of growth factors (GFs) might enhance the results and improve scaffold integration and tissue replacement. Few studies have been performed on PRP for osteochondral regeneration compared with the extensive work on bone and other tissue healing [11,12,13]
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