Volume 29, Issue 5, 2020
DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2020.1004
Medium and Long-Term Animal Experiment Study on Replacement of Allogeneic Meniscus Tissue for Repairing Cartilage Defects
Abstract
Objective: To explore the repair effect of allogeneic meniscus replacement cartilage graft on animal articular cartilage.
Methods: The rabbit cartilage defect model was constructed, and allogeneic meniscus tissue replacement transplantation was performed. Gross observation, cytological observation, and histomorphological score were performed on the knee joint 2 months after operation, and the biomechanical properties were analyzed. Furthermore, Western blotting and ELISA were used to determine the expression of key proteins, Real-time RT-PCR technology was used to detect the expression of key genes, and logistic regression analysis was used to screen out the time points and key genes/proteins that affect the efficacy.
Results: Through gross observation, it was found that the height, texture and color of cartilage tissue repaired by meniscus transplantation were closer to normal cartilage, and the repair degree was higher than that of cartilage transplantation group. At the same time, the analysis of biomechanical properties showed that the ultimate stress, ultimate strain, compressive modulus and tangent modulus of the meniscus transplantation group were significantly higher than those of the cartilage transplantation group at December and 18 months (P<0.05). The key protein level measurement results showed that from 1 week to 18 months after surgery, collagen type II protein expression first increased and then decreased. Among them, the average collagen type II protein expression levels of 1 week, 2 weeks, and January were compared, half a month the plate transplantation group was significantly higher than the cartilage transplantation group (P<0.05). From 1 week to 18 months after surgery, the protein content of MMP3 and CTX-II in the two groups showed a downward trend. At 12 and 18 months, the MMP3 protein content of the meniscus transplantation group was significantly lower than that of the cartilage transplantation group (P<0.05). The key gene expression level also showed the same result. Logistic regression analysis was further used, and the results showed that 1 month after surgery was the time point that significantly affected the efficacy, and collagen type II and col2a1 were key proteins and genes that significantly affected the efficacy.
Conclusion: Allogeneic meniscus tissue replacement transplantation is effective in repairing cartilage defects. Collagen type II may be the key to the effect in 1 month after surgery.
Keywords
meniscus transplantation; cartilage defect; medium and long-term animal experiment