Abstract
Meniscal allograft transplantation yields good and excellent results but is limited by donor availability. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of radiated deep-frozen xenogenic meniscal tissue (RDF-X) as an alternative graft choice in meniscal transplantation. The xenogenic meniscal tissues were harvested from the inner 1/3 part of the porcine meniscus and then irradiated and deeply frozen. The medial menisci of rabbits were replaced by the RDF-X. Meniscal allograft transplantation, meniscectomy and sham operation served as controls. Only a particular kind of rabbit-anti-pig antibody (molecular ranging 60–80 kD) was detected in the blood serum at week 2. The menisci of the group RDF-X grossly resembled the native tissue and the allograft meniscus with fibrocartilage regeneration at postoperative 1 year. Cell incorporation and the extracellular matrix were mostly observed at the surface and the inner 1/3 part of the newly regenerated RDF-X, which was different from the allograft. The biomechanical properties of the group RDF-X were also approximate to those of the native meniscus except for the compressive creep. In addition, chondroprotection was achieved after the RDF-X transplantation although the joint degeneration was not completely prevented. To conclude, the RDF-X could be a promising alternative for meniscal transplantation with similar tissue regeneration capacity to allograft transplantation and superior chondroprotection. The potential minor immunological rejection should be further studied before its clinical application.
Highlights
The Collagen Meniscus Implants (CMI) is a structure fabricated by collagen type I isolated and purified from bovine Achilles tendon
The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the potential of the radiated deep-frozen xenogenic meniscal tissue (RDF-X) as alternative for meniscal transplantation
According to the toluidine blue (TB) staining results, the GAGs obviously reduced after the treatment and the original neatly arranged fiber became messy
Summary
The Collagen Meniscus Implants (CMI) is a structure fabricated by collagen type I isolated and purified from bovine Achilles tendon. Steadman[9] and Zaffagnini et al.[10] reported the results of CMI implantations with more than five years follow-up, respectively. Both studies shed light on its promising clinical evolution and assumed chondroprotection. The transplanted CMI appeared shrinkage in the study with larger population[11] Xenografts, such as porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS), have been used to replace meniscal tissue in a dog model[12]. Tissue regeneration and chondroprotective effects of RDF-X (Xeno group) were evaluated at one year follow-up, compared with those of the allograft (Allo group), meniscectomy (Meni group), or the sham surgery (Sham group). There might be difference between the xenograft group and the allograft group in terms of cell infiltration and tissue regeneration
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