Aims. Cartilage injuries rarely heal spontaneously and often require surgical intervention, leading to the formation of biomechanically inferior fibrous tissue. This study aimed to evaluate the possible effect of amelogenin on the healing process of a large osteochondral injury (OCI) in a rat model. Methods. A reproducible large OCI was created in the right leg femoral trochlea of 93 rats. The OCIs were treated with 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, or 5.0 μg/μl recombinant human amelogenin protein (rHAM. +. ) dissolved in propylene glycol alginate (PGA)
Aims. This study aimed to investigate the effect of solute
Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is a promising treatment for articular cartilage degeneration and injury; however, it requires a large number of human hyaline chondrocytes, which often undergo dedifferentiation during in vitro expansion. This study aimed to investigate the effect of suramin on chondrocyte differentiation and its underlying mechanism. Porcine chondrocytes were treated with vehicle or various doses of suramin. The expression of collagen, type II, alpha 1 (COL2A1), aggrecan (ACAN); COL1A1; COL10A1; SRY-box transcription factor 9 (SOX9); nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase (NOX); interleukin (IL)-1β; tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα); IL-8; and matrix metallopeptidase 13 (MMP-13) in chondrocytes at both messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels was determined by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot. In addition, the supplementation of suramin to redifferentiation medium for the culture of expanded chondrocytes in 3D pellets was evaluated. Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and collagen production were evaluated by biochemical analyses and immunofluorescence, as well as by immunohistochemistry. The expression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NOX activity were assessed by luciferase reporter gene assay, immunofluorescence analysis, and flow cytometry. Mutagenesis analysis, Alcian blue staining, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and western blot assay were used to determine whether p67phox was involved in suramin-enhanced chondrocyte phenotype maintenance.Aims
Methods
Osteoarthritis (OA) is prevalent among the elderly and incurable. Intra-articular parathyroid hormone (PTH) ameliorated OA in papain-induced and anterior cruciate ligament transection-induced OA models; therefore, we hypothesized that PTH improved OA in a preclinical age-related OA model. Guinea pigs aged between six and seven months of age were randomized into control or treatment groups. Three- or four-month-old guinea pigs served as the young control group. The knees were administered 40 μl intra-articular injections of 10 nM PTH or vehicle once a week for three months. Their endurance as determined from time on the treadmill was evaluated before kill. Their tibial plateaus were analyzed using microcalculated tomography (μCT) and histological studies.Aims
Methods
The aim of this retrospective study was to determine if there are differences in short-term clinical outcomes among four different types of matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte transplantation (MACT). A total of 88 patients (mean age 34 years (SD 10.03), mean BMI 25 kg/m2 (SD 3.51)) with full-thickness chondral lesions of the tibiofemoral joint who underwent MACT were included in this study. Clinical examinations were performed preoperatively and 24 months after transplantation. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective Knee Form, the Brittberg score, the Tegner Activity Scale, and the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain. The Kruskal-Wallis test by ranks was used to compare the clinical scores of the different transplant types.Aims
Methods
The present study investigates the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) gel without adjunct to induce cartilage regeneration in large osteochondral defects in a rabbit model. A bilateral osteochondral defect was created in the femoral trochlear groove of 14 New Zealand white rabbits. The right knees were filled with PRP gel and the contralateral knees remained untreated and served as control sides. Some animals were killed at week 3 and others at week 12 postoperatively. The joints were harvested and assessed by Magnetic Resonance Observation of Cartilage Repair Tissue (MOCART) MRI scoring system, and examined using the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) macroscopic and ICRS histological scoring systems. Additionally, the collagen type II content was evaluated by the immunohistochemical staining.Aims
Methods
Previously, we reported the improved transfection efficiency of a plasmid DNA-chitosan (pDNA-CS) complex using a phosphorylatable nuclear localization signal-linked nucleic kinase substrate short peptide (pNNS) conjugated to chitosan (pNNS-CS). This study investigated the effects of pNNS-CS-mediated miR-140 and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein (IL-1Ra) gene transfection both in rabbit chondrocytes and a cartilage defect model. The pBudCE4.1-miR-140, pBudCE4.1-IL-1Ra, and negative control pBudCE4.1 plasmids were constructed and combined with pNNS-CS to form pDNA/pNNS-CS complexes. These complexes were transfected into chondrocytes or injected into the knee joint cavity.Objectives
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