Abstract
BackgroundThe physiologic regenerative capacity of cartilage is severely limited. Current studies on the repair of osteochondral defects (OCDs) have mainly focused on the regeneration of cartilage tissues. The antler cartilage is a unique regenerative cartilage that has the potential for cartilage repair.MethodsAntler decellularized cartilage-derived matrix scaffolds (adCDMs) were prepared by combining freezing-thawing and enzymatic degradation. Their DNA, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and collagen content were then detected. Biosafety and biocompatibility were evaluated by pyrogen detection, hemolysis analysis, cytotoxicity evaluation, and subcutaneous implantation experiments. adCDMs were implanted into rabbit articular cartilage defects for 2 months to evaluate their therapeutic effects.ResultsAdCDMs were observed to be rich in collagen and GAGs and devoid of cells. AdCDMs were also determined to have good biosafety and biocompatibility. Both four- and eight-week treatments of OCDs showed a flat and smooth surface of the healing cartilage at the adCDMs filled site. The international cartilage repair society scores (ICRS) of adCDMs were significantly higher than those of controls (porcine dCDMs and normal saline) (p < 0.05). The repaired tissue in the adCDM group was fibrotic with high collagen, specifically, type II collagen.ConclusionsWe concluded that adCDMs could achieve excellent cartilage regeneration repair in a rabbit knee OCDs model. Our study stresses the importance and benefits of adCDMs in bone formation and overall anatomical reconstitution, and it provides a novel source for developing cartilage-regenerating repair materials.
Highlights
Healthy bones have the ability to auto-regenerate
Preparation and characterization of scaffolds Antler cartilage tissue was selected because of its unique cartilage structure [34], regenerating properties [35], and large volume [36]. Both Antler decellularized cartilage-derived matrix scaffolds (adCDMs) and porcine decellularized CDMs (dCDMs) (pdCDMs) were prepared according to an optimized method described in other studies [19, 20]
hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining assays showed that cell nuclei-specific darkpurple staining appeared ubiquitously in the cartilage of deer antlers and porcine joints, while few of them were found in adCDMs and pdCDMs (Fig. 1 A & 1B)
Summary
Healthy bones have the ability to auto-regenerate. large defects in the bone structure due to trauma, congenital deformities, or extensive oncological surgery often require surgical reconstruction [1]. Osteochondral defects (OCDs) are focal areas of articular cartilage. OCDs lead to a poor intrinsic capacity to regenerate healthy cartilage tissue, and many studies are trying to address this. Cartilage-derived matrix scaffolds (CDMs) have shown great chondrogenic potential in in vitro experiments. The advantage of using decellularized CDMs (dCDMs) is that they are of natural origin and can produce bioactive cues. DCDMs can attract and induce cells to differentiate into the appropriate lineages required for tissue repair [13, 14]. Since dCDMs can guide the formation of bone and cartilage tissue, in addition to cartilage repair, these scaffolds have the potential to repair OCDs. The physiologic regenerative capacity of cartilage is severely limited. Current studies on the repair of osteochondral defects (OCDs) have mainly focused on the regeneration of cartilage tissues. The antler cartilage is a unique regenerative cartilage that has the potential for cartilage repair
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