| Theme | Regeneration of bone and cartilage | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Osteochondral repair using a combined implant comprising a scaffold-free tissue-engineered construct derived from synovial mesenchymal stem cells and a hydroxyapatite-based artificial bone | |
| Publish Date | 2015/10 | |
| Author | Kazunori Shimomura | Medicine for Sports and Performing Arts, Department of Health and Sport Sciences, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine |
| Author | Hiromichi Fujie | Faculty of System Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University |
| Author | Hideki Yoshikawa | Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine |
| Author | Norimasa Nakamura | Institute for Medical Science in Sports, Osaka Health Science University / Center for Advanced Medical Engineering and Informatics, Osaka University |
| [ Summary ] | For an ideal osteochondral repair, it is important to facilitate zonal restoration of the subchondral bone and the cartilage, layer by layer. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of a combined material comprising a scaffold-free tissue-engineered construct (TEC) derived from synovial MSCs and an HA-based artificial bone using a rabbit osteochondral defect model. Osteochondral defects were created on the femoral groove of skeletally mature rabbits, and the TEC-HA combined implant was then implanted into defects. In the control group, HA alone was implanted. Histological evaluation and biomechanical testing were performed to assess the degree of tissue repair. Osteochondral defects treated with the TEC-HA implants exhibited complete osteochondral repair at 6 months postimplantation and good tissue integration of the repair tissue to the adjacent host tissue. Conversely, the control group exhibited poor integration into adjacent cartilage and early osteoarthritis-like degenerative changes at 6 months postimplantation. Biomechanically, tissue stiffness was resotred in the osteochondral tissue treated with the TEC-HA implants at 6 months postimplantation and was similar to normal osteochondral tissue. The TEC-HA implant represents a promising MSC-based bio-implant with regard to safety and long-term durability. |
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