Muscle repair: platelet-rich plasma derivates as a bridge from spontaneity to intervention

Muscle injuries account for between 10% and 55% of all sporting injuries. Although the skeletal muscle is a plastic organ capable of responding efficiently to environmental changes, the appropriate treatment of muscle injuries remains a daunting clinical challenge in sports medicine. There is considerable evidence to indicate that growth factors, such as transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) or insulin-like growth factor (IGF), and fibrin matrix are key in cellular events required for muscle repair and regeneration, namely myogenesis, angiogenesis and fibrogenesis. An innovative biological approach to the treatment of muscle injuries is the application of Plasma Rich in Growth Factors (PRGF) in intramuscular infiltrations. PRGF delivers growth factors, cytokines and adhesive proteins present in platelets and plasma, as well as other biologically-active proteins conveyed by the plasma, such as fibrinogen, prothrombin and fibronectin. This autologous, mimetic biomaterial embedded with a pool of growth factors acts as a smart dynamic scaffold, and should be applied taking into account a biological approach. A clinical trial is required to assess the functional repair outcome of PRGF infiltrations in muscle injuries.