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Vitrified Particulated Articular Cartilage for Joint Resurfacing: A Swine Model
Kezhou Wu1,2, Kar Wey Yong2, Maha Ead3
1Sports Medicine Center, First Affiliated Hospital, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China.
The American Journal of Sports Medicine
|October 19, 2022
Summary
Vitrification preserves particulated cartilage for tissue banking, showing equivalent repair to fresh cartilage in defects after six months. This cryopreservation method offers a viable solution for increasing donor tissue availability for transplantation.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Regenerative Medicine
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Particulated articular cartilage is used for cartilage defect repair but faces limitations due to donor availability and short shelf life.
- Vitrification offers ice-free cryopreservation for tissue banking at ultralow temperatures.
- The long-term clinical efficacy of vitrified versus fresh particulated cartilage remains undetermined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if vitrified particulated cartilage is equivalent or superior to fresh particulated cartilage stored for 21 days in repairing cartilage defects.
- To evaluate the long-term clinical efficacy of vitrified particulated cartilage.
Main Methods:
- A controlled laboratory study involving 19 pigs divided into fresh, vitrified, and negative control groups.
- Surgical implantation of cartilage, followed by a 6-month evaluation period.
- Assessment using gross morphology (Outerbridge, OARSI scores), histology (safranin O, collagen type I/II, DAPI), and chondrocyte viability staining.
Main Results:
- No post-surgical infections were observed in any group.
- Both fresh and vitrified cartilage groups showed significantly lower OARSI grades (2.44 ± 1.35 and 2.00 ± 0.80) compared to the negative control (4.83 ± 0.29).
- Histological and fluorescent analyses indicated equivalent regeneration, cell viability, proteoglycan, and collagen type I/II expression in both fresh and vitrified cartilage groups.
Conclusions:
- Implantation of fresh or vitrified particulated cartilage leads to equivalent repair of focal cartilage defects at 6 months post-surgery.
- Vitrification is a viable method for long-term storage of particulated cartilage, enhancing its availability for tissue banking and transplantation.
