Effects of a cell‐free method using collagen vitrigel incorporating TGF‐β1 on articular cartilage repair in a rabbit osteochondral defect model

摘要

Abstract We studied the ability of collagen vitrigel material to repair cartilage in vivo when used alone or with transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β). We measured the time course and quantity of TGF‐β1 released from the collagen vitrigel in vitro to quantify the controlled release of TGF‐β1. Over 14 days, 0.91 ng of TGF‐β was released from the collagen vitrigel. Osteochondral defects were made in the femoral trochlear groove in 36 Japanese white rabbits, which were divided into three groups: untreated group (group A), collagen vitrigel‐implanted group (group B), and TGF‐β1‐incorporated collagen vitrigel‐implanted group (group C). The weight distribution ratio between the affected and unaffected limbs served as an indicator of pain. Animals were sacrificed at 4 and 12 weeks after surgery, and their tissues were assessed histologically. The weight distribution ratio increased in all groups and did not differ significantly between groups at 12 weeks. Group A needed 6 weeks to attain maximum improvement, and groups B and C showed near‐maximum improvement at 4 and 2 weeks, respectively. The International Cartilage Repair Society II score improved significantly in group C relative to the other groups. These findings suggest that sustained, slow release of TGF‐β caused early pain mitigation and cartilage repair. ? 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 2592–2602, 2017.