Sung H W, Hsu C S, Lee Y S, Lin D S
Department of Chemical Engineering, National Central University, Chung-Li, Taiwan, Republic of China.
J Biomed Mater Res. 1996 Aug;31(4):511-8. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-4636(199608)31:4<511::AID-JBM11>3.0.CO;2-J.
Injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) often results in functional instability within the knee joint and may induce a severe articular deterioration. Clinically, these patients may require an ACL reconstruction. In an attempt to develop an improved ligament prosthesis, a prototype xenograft--an epoxy-fixed porcine Achilles tendon--was developed. The study was intended to investigate the crosslinking characteristics of the epoxy-fixed porcine tendons fixed at different pHs (4.0, 7.4, 9.0, and 10.5), temperatures (4, 25, and 37 degrees C), and fixative concentrations (1, 2, or 4%). Samples of each group were taken out at various elapsed fixation periods. The crosslinking characteristics-fixation index, denaturation temperature, and moisture content-of each sample were determined. Additionally, the stiffness of the epoxy-fixed tendons under various fixation conditions was qualitatively compared. In the study it was noted that the color of porcine Achilles tendons remained natural after epoxy fixation. With increasing pH, temperature, or fixative concentration, the fixation indices and denaturation temperatures of the epoxy-fixed tendons increased. However, the fixed porcine tendons tended to be stiffer at a higher pH, temperature, or fixative concentration. The moisture contents of the epoxy-fixed tendons were relatively lower than the fresh ones, while they were approximately the same at different pHs, temperatures, and fixative concentrations. The implications of these findings for the epoxy-fixed porcine tendons in ACL reconstruction require further investigation.
前交叉韧带（ACL）损伤常导致膝关节功能不稳定，并可能引发严重的关节退变。临床上，这些患者可能需要进行ACL重建。为了开发一种改良的韧带假体，研制了一种原型异种移植物——环氧固定的猪跟腱。本研究旨在调查环氧固定的猪肌腱在不同pH值（4.0、7.4、9.0和10.5）、温度（4、25和37摄氏度）和固定剂浓度（1%、2%或4%）下的交联特性。在不同的固定时间取出每组样本。测定每个样本的交联特性——固定指数、变性温度和含水量。此外，还定性比较了环氧固定肌腱在不同固定条件下的刚度。研究发现，猪跟腱在环氧固定后颜色保持自然。随着pH值、温度或固定剂浓度的增加，环氧固定肌腱的固定指数和变性温度升高。然而，在较高的pH值、温度或固定剂浓度下，固定的猪肌腱往往更硬。环氧固定肌腱的含水量相对低于新鲜肌腱，而在不同的pH值、温度和固定剂浓度下大致相同。这些发现对环氧固定猪肌腱在ACL重建中的意义需要进一步研究。
