Department of Sports Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang 310000, China; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang 310009, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Repair Technology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang 310009, China.
Department of Sports Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang 310000, China; Center for Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang 310000, China.
Biomaterials. 2014 Sep;35(28):8154-63. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2014.06.019. Epub 2014 Jun 25.
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is difficult to heal after injury due to the dynamic fluid environment of joint. Previously, we have achieved satisfactory regeneration of subcutaneous tendon/ligament with knitted silk-collagen sponge scaffold due to its specific "internal-space-preservation" property. This study aims to investigate the long-term effects of knitted silk-collagen sponge scaffold on ACL regeneration and osteoarthritis prevention. The knitted silk-collagen sponge scaffold was fabricated and implanted into a rabbit ACL injury model. The knitted silk-collagen sponge scaffold was found to enhance migration and adhesion of spindle-shaped cells into the scaffold at 2 months post-surgery. After 6 months, ACL treated with the knitted silk-collagen sponge scaffold exhibited increased expression of ligament genes and better microstructural morphology. After 18 months, the knitted silk-collagen sponge scaffold-treated group had more mature ligament structure and direct ligament-to-bone healing. Implanted knitted silk-collagen sponge scaffolds degraded much more slowly compared to subcutaneous implantation. Furthermore, the knitted silk-collagen sponge scaffold effectively protected joint surface cartilage and preserved joint space for up to 18 months post-surgery. These findings thus demonstrated that the knitted silk-collagen sponge scaffold can regenerate functional ACL and prevent osteoarthritis in the long-term, suggesting its clinical use as a functional bioscaffold for ACL reconstruction.
前交叉韧带（ACL）在受伤后很难愈合，这是由于关节的动态流体环境所致。以前，由于其特定的“内部空间保留”特性，我们已经通过编织丝胶原海绵支架实现了皮下肌腱/韧带的令人满意的再生。本研究旨在探讨编织丝胶原海绵支架对 ACL 再生和骨关节炎预防的长期影响。制备并将编织丝胶原海绵支架植入兔 ACL 损伤模型中。结果发现，术后 2 个月，编织丝胶原海绵支架增强了纺锤形细胞向支架内的迁移和黏附。6 个月后，用编织丝胶原海绵支架处理的 ACL 表现出更高的韧带基因表达和更好的微观结构形态。18 个月后，用编织丝胶原海绵支架处理的组具有更成熟的韧带结构和直接的韧带与骨愈合。与皮下植入相比，植入的编织丝胶原海绵支架的降解速度要慢得多。此外，编织丝胶原海绵支架有效地保护了关节表面软骨并保持了关节间隙长达 18 个月。这些发现表明，编织丝胶原海绵支架可以在长期内再生功能性 ACL 并预防骨关节炎，这表明其作为 ACL 重建的功能性生物支架的临床应用。
