Featured Publication in Focus: Integrative cartilage repair using acellular allografts for engineered structure and surface lubrication in vivo

Featured Publication in Focus: Integrative cartilage repair using acellular allografts for engineered structure and surface lubrication in vivo

Nov 04 , 2024

MD Bioproducts

Authors:
Jeanne E. Barthold, Luyao Cai, Kaitlin P. McCreery, Kristine M. Fischenich, Kevin N. Eckstein, Virginia L. Ferguson, Nancy C. Emery, Gert Breur and Corey P. Neu

 

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA

 

npj. Regenerative Medicine

 

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Product referenced:

Catalogue # 203001-1

Collagen Type II Antibody, anti-Human, 100uL

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ABSTRACT

The repair of articular cartilage after damage is challenging, and decellularized tissue offers a possible treatment option to promote regeneration. Here, we show that acellular osteochondral allografts improve integrative cartilage repair compared to untreated defects after 6 months in an ovine model. Functional measures of intratissue strain/structure assessed by MRI demonstrate similar biomechanics of implants and native cartilage. Compared to native tissue and defects, the structure, composition, and tribology of acellular allografts preserve surface roughness and lubrication, material properties under compression and relaxation, compositional ratios of collagen:glycosaminoglycan and collagen:phosphate, and relative composition of types I/II collagen. While high cellularity was observed in bone regions and integration zones between cartilage-allografts, recellularization of chondral implants was inconsistent, with cell migration typically less than ~750 μm into the dense decellularized tissue, possibly limiting long-term cellular maintenance. Our results demonstrate the structural and biomechanical efficacy of acellular allografts for at least six months in vivo.

 

To continue reading and to download the publication:

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41536-024-00367-x