Fibrin Scaffold With Concentrated Growth Factor and Stromal Vascular Fraction: A Novel Approach for Repairing Chronic...

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Regenerative Medicine
• Biomaterials Science

Background:

• Rotator cuff tears (RCTs) present significant challenges in orthopaedic care, especially chronic cases with poor tendon healing.
• Concentrated growth factor (CGF) and stromal vascular fraction (SVF) are novel biological therapies showing promise for enhanced tendon repair.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if a fibrin scaffold enriched with CGF and SVF improves tendon healing in a chronic RCT rabbit model.
• To assess the effects on fatty degeneration, vascularization, and biomechanical properties.

Main Methods:

• A chronic RCT model was created in rabbit subscapularis tendons.
• At 6 weeks, transosseous repair was combined with hydrogel, CGF-enriched fibrin, or CGF+SVF-enriched fibrin scaffold.
• Samples were analyzed macroscopically, histologically, immunohistochemically, and biomechanically at 12 weeks.

Main Results:

• The CGF+SVF-enriched fibrin scaffold (Group 3) showed significantly reduced fatty degeneration and superior vascularization and cellularity compared to hydrogel (Group 1).
• Group 3 demonstrated significantly better collagen fiber continuity, regularity, and the highest tensile strength.
• 85.7% of Group 3 tendons showed midsubstance tears, indicating robust healing, compared to 28.6% in Group 1.

Conclusions:

• Combining CGF and SVF within fibrin scaffolds significantly enhances tendon healing in chronic RCTs, outperforming CGF alone.
• This combined biological approach is a promising therapeutic strategy for optimizing tendon repair outcomes.
• Findings support the clinical potential of CGF and SVF for improving repair in chronic RCT cases in sports medicine.