Academy of Medical Engineering and Traditional Medicine, Tianjin University, Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, China.
Orthopedics Department, National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, The First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
J Orthop Surg Res. 2023 Feb 21;18(1):125. doi: 10.1186/s13018-023-03607-w.
Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is one of the most common degenerative diseases. Its development is closely related to cartilage injury and subchondral bone remodeling homeostasis. In the present study, we combined icariin-conditioned serum (ICS) with thiolated chitosan (CSSH), a material widely used in tissue engineering for cartilage repair, to demonstrate its effect on the repair of cartilage damage and abnormal subchondral remodeling.
New Zealand rabbits were undergoing surgery for cartilage defect, and joint cavity injection was performed in each group with 0.5 mL normal saline (NS), ICS, CSSH and ICS-CSSH in the right joint every week for five times. Positioning performance was observed using VICON motion capture system. Glycosaminoglycans (GAG) secretion of articular fluid was assessed. Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) score and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis including H&E, Safranin O and collagen II staining were employed to evaluate the morphologic repair of cartilage and subchondral bone. mRNA expression of COL2A1, MMP13 and ADAMTS5 was detected in chondrocytes from injury area.
ICS combined with CSSH attenuated cartilage injury and abnormal subchondral remodeling in rabbits with KOA. ICS and CSSH groups showed slight improvement in positioning performance, while ICS-CSSH group exhibited better positioning performance. ICS-CSSH group showed increased GAG secretion of articular fluid and expression of COL2A1 in articular chondrocytes. Furthermore, both macroscopic observation and IHC analysis showed femoral condyle in ICS-CSSH rabbits were repaired with more native cartilage and subchondral bone regeneration.
ICS combined with CSSH could promote the repair of osteochondral defect and stabilize subchondral bone remodeling in rabbit knees.
膝骨关节炎（KOA）是最常见的退行性疾病之一。其发展与软骨损伤和软骨下骨重塑平衡密切相关。本研究将淫羊藿苷条件培养液（ICS）与组织工程中广泛用于软骨修复的巯基化壳聚糖（CSSH）相结合，证明其在软骨损伤和异常软骨下重塑修复中的作用。
新西兰兔接受软骨缺损手术，每周在右侧关节腔内注射 0.5mL 生理盐水（NS）、ICS、CSSH 和 ICS-CSSH 各 1 次，共 5 次。采用 VICON 运动捕捉系统观察定位性能。评估关节液中糖胺聚糖（GAG）的分泌。采用骨关节炎研究协会国际（OARSI）评分和免疫组织化学（IHC）分析，包括 H&E、番红 O 和胶原 II 染色，评估软骨和软骨下骨的形态修复。检测损伤区软骨细胞中 COL2A1、MMP13 和 ADAMTS5 的 mRNA 表达。
ICS 联合 CSSH 可减轻 KOA 兔的软骨损伤和异常软骨下重塑。ICS 和 CSSH 组的定位性能略有改善，而 ICS-CSSH 组的定位性能更好。ICS-CSSH 组关节液中 GAG 分泌和关节软骨细胞中 COL2A1 的表达增加。此外，宏观观察和 IHC 分析均显示 ICS-CSSH 兔的股骨髁修复有更多的原生软骨和软骨下骨再生。
ICS 联合 CSSH 可促进兔膝关节骨软骨缺损的修复，稳定软骨下骨重塑。
