The quantitative evaluation of the impact of viable medial meniscus graft type on the biochemical and biomechanical properties of the rabbit tibial cartilage

Abstract

BackgroundKnowledge of the impact of viable medial meniscus allograft and autograft transplantation on biochemical and mechanical properties of cartilage is needed to understand the development of joint osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this relationship 6 months after viable medial meniscal autograft and allograft transplantation.MethodsTwenty rabbits were chosen for the study. The medial menisci were excised from 14 animals and stored under tissue culture conditions for 2 weeks. Seven menisci were implanted as autografts (group A) and seven as allografts (group B). The control group consisted of six animals which underwent arthrotomy. The tibial cartilage was used for mechanical and biochemical evaluation.ResultsThe respective decreases of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and elasticity were 13.4 and 14.8 % for group A and 30.4 and 32.6 % for group B. The differences between group A and B and between each group and the control were statistically significant. The total collagen content was significantly lower in group B.ConclusionsThe type of viable meniscal graft has an influence on the biochemical composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and biomechanical properties of the underlying tibial cartilage. A 1 % decrease of glycosaminoglycan content is associated with a 1.1 % decrease of cartilage elasticity. The average ratio of decrease of cartilage elasticity to that of the meniscus was 0.77 regardless of the type of meniscus graft. The viable allograft causes irreversible ECM disorder of the cartilage. Knowledge of the biochemical composition of the ECM meniscal grafts may serve as a predictor of their chondroprotective properties.

Fresh Versus Frozen Meniscal Allograft Transplant: Revisit or Redundant? A Systematic Review

“…Without the rapid freezing process used to preserve fresh-frozen allografts, histocompatibility antigens remain intact, increasing the risk of immune response for both fresh and cryopreserved allografts. 27,70…”

“…Some investigators believe that these cells could help maintain the extracellular matrix and reduce the urgency of repopulation, whereas others question the benefit of viable cells given that in vivo studies have shown repopulation of the graft with host cells after 4 weeks. 3,27,46,50,70 There is a possibility that the remaining viable cells signal to the host cells to repopulate and repair the tissue.…”

“…Without the rapid freezing process used to preserve fresh-frozen allografts, histocompatibility antigens remain intact, increasing the risk of immune response for both fresh and cryopreserved allografts. 27,70 Fresh Meniscal Allografts. Some consider this type of allograft to be the ideal source for MAT procedures, with advantages such as cell viability and retained mechanical properties.…”

Current advances in the development of natural meniscus scaffolds: innovative approaches to decellularization and recellularization

“…According to previous studies on meniscal decellularization, tensile properties are mostly attributed to collagen fibers, while compressive properties are mostly associated with GAGs (Abdelgaied et al 2015 ; Maier et al 2007 ; Schmidt et al 1990 ; Zhu et al 1993 ). In addition, GAGs colocalized with type II collagen could maintain viscoelastic properties, compression stiffness and tissue hydration (Buma et al 2007 ), while a 1% decrease in GAG content could result in a 1.1% decrease in elasticity (Zwierzchowski et al 2015 ). Since meniscal biomechanical properties are closely related to the structure and organization of the collagen network and GAG content, the ECM retaining these components after decellularization would, at the same time, possess favorable biomechanical characteristics.…”