Tissue Engineering for Total Meniscal Substitution: Animal Study in Sheep Model

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the use of a novel hyaluronic acid/polycaprolactone material for meniscal tissue engineering and to evaluate the tissue regeneration after the augmentation of the implant with expanded autologous chondrocytes. Two different surgical implantation techniques in a sheep model were evaluated. Methods: Twenty-four skeletally mature sheep were treated with total medial meniscus replacements, while two meniscectomies served as empty controls. The animals were divided into two groups: cell-free scaffold and scaffold seeded with autologous chondrocytes. Two different surgical techniques were compared: in 12 animals, the implant was sutured to the capsule and to the meniscal ligament; in the other 12 animals, also a transtibial fixation of the horns was used. The animals were euthanized after 4 months. The specimens were assessed by gross inspection and histology.

Meniscus repair and regeneration: review on current methods and research potential

“…Most importantly, no biomaterial demonstrated to be superior to the others in terms of supporting cell proliferation and Kon et al, 2008).…”

“…However, tissue engineering techniques have been applied to meniscal regeneration with controversial results, and only a few studies investigated in orthotopic models the feasibility of engineering total meniscus substitutes (Kon et al, 2008;Kang et al, 2006). Kang et al (2006) described a PGA-PLGA scaffold seeded with allogeneic meniscal cells in a rabbit total meniscectomy model.…”

“…Additionally, abundant blood vessels were found in the scaffold after 6 weeks. According to these favourable preliminary results, Kon et al (2008) investigated the use of this biomaterial seeded with expanded autologous articular chondrocytes in the same orthotopic model in order to improve the biological response and the remodelling processes. At the end of the experimental time (16 weeks) no significant macroscopic difference was evident between the cellseeded and the cell-free implant.…”

Tissue Engineering for Meniscus Regeneration

“…Tissue engineering has recently been proposed as a possible solution for meniscal regeneration. A few animal studies investigated the possibility of using cells in combination with different scaffold biomaterials for a partial or total meniscal substitution (Van Tienen et al 2002;Van Tienen et al 2003;Van Tienen et al 2006;Weinand et al 2006;Chiari et al 2006;Kon et al 2008). Several polymers, both natural and synthetic, have been tested for engineering meniscal and cartilage tissue in vitro or in vivo.…”

“…Brophy and colleagues (Brophy et al 2008) showed in sheep cadavers that the contact pressures after partial meniscectomy and replacement with a polyurethane scaffold were less than the contact pressures after partial meniscectomy only. We have investigated the feasibility of using a new resorbable biomaterial consisting of hyaluronic acid and polycaprolactone for total meniscal substitution in a sheep model (Chiari et al 2006;Kon et al 2008). Twenty-four skeletally mature sheep were treated with total medial meniscus replacements while 2 meniscectomies served as empty controls.…”