Attachment of artificial cartilage to underlying bone

Abstract

The key problem with artificial joint materials is obtaining quick and firm attachment onto the underlying bone. In developing artificial articular cartilage, composed of polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel (PVA-H), this problem was solved by using a composite osteochondral device (COD). This enables attachment within four weeks post-operation by massive bone ingrowth into the pores. The COD consists of PVA-H as an artificial cartilage and titanium fiber mesh (TFM) as porous artificial bone. In this study, the strength of the shear resistance force at the interface of the PVA-H and the TFM fabricated by injection molding and the changes in the mechanical properties of the PVA-H fabricated by high temperature during the injection-molding process were examined. The shear resistance force was strengthened markedly by using injection molding and no important deterioration of the PVA-H was found. Morphological examination of canine spines, to which artificial intervertebral discs made of the COD were implanted, showed good bonding of the COD with the vertebral bodies for an extended period of 30 months, and encouraged us to use the COD clinically.

Ectopic osteochondral formation of biomimetic porous PVA‐n‐HA/PA6 bilayered scaffold and BMSCs construct in rabbit

“…6 The bone region of the engineered osteochondral composite would provide mechanical stability, since a bone-to-bone interface integrates better and faster than a cartilage-to-cartilage interface. 7,8 Likewise, the cartilage part of a bilayered composite construct approximates the cartilage tissue, which is different to bone tissue in that it is an avascular tissue and so must be grown in intimate contact with the blood vessel. 9,10 Thus when the construct is placed within the osteochondral defect, the bone layer and the cartilage layer of the bilayered construct grows under different biological requirements.…”

Hydrophilic–hydrophobic hydrogels for cartilage replacement

“…PVA hydrogels have been produced by a number of methods including irradiation cross-linking, freeze-thaw cycles, solvent precipitation, and injection molding followed by solvent exchange (Hassan and Peppas, 2000). Of particular interest in this research is the method for injection molding hydrogels utilizing high-pressure (120 MPa) (Ushio et al, 2003a). PVA molded parts providing good bond strength between the PVA and a titanium fiber metal, with a shear strength between titanium fiber metal and PVA of 10.9 MPa for the molded samples and 2.2 MPa for solution cast materials (Oka et al, 2000).…”

Properties and Reinforcing Mechanism of Cellulose Reinforced Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogel Membranes

“…Due to its good biocompatibility, stability, porous structure, low friction coefficient and the moisture content of similar to the body's tissues [1,2], the Polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel has been extensively investigated as promising applications in tissue replacement and repair materials, drug carrier, cartilage and skin substitutes, skin wound dressings and scaffold of cell culture, etc. Nonetheless, PVA hydrogels can hardly meet some high requirements of tissue replacement due to its unsatisfied mechanical properties [3,4]. Therefore, at present, the main research is to improve the mechanical properties of PVA hydrogels, meanwhile keep the original characters.…”