article · Bone and Joint Research
This study evaluated the ability of platelet-rich plasma gel, used without additional therapeutic agents, to repair full-thickness cartilage defects in an animal model. Researchers introduced bilateral osteochondral defects into the knee joints of fourteen New Zealand white rabbits. One knee in each animal received platelet-rich plasma gel, while the opposing knee was left untreated to serve as a control. Joint tissues were assessed at three and twelve weeks post-surgery using magnetic resonance imaging scoring, macroscopic evaluation, histological analysis, and immunohistochemical staining for type two collagen. At three weeks, defects treated with the gel showed incomplete tissue regeneration. However, by twelve weeks, the treated defects were repaired with hyaline cartilage-like tissue, whereas untreated control joints developed only fibrous or fibrocartilaginous tissue across both evaluation periods.
Cartilage has a limited capacity to heal naturally, often repairing with fibrous tissue that lacks the functional durability of native hyaline cartilage. Demonstrating that a standalone biological material such as platelet-rich plasma gel can stimulate hyaline-like cartilage formation in damaged joints provides valuable foundational evidence for developing simpler restorative therapies for joint surface injuries.
This work points towards potential applications in regenerative orthopaedics, specifically biological therapies for repairing joint cartilage damage. The primary users would eventually be orthopaedic surgeons and sports medicine clinicians. However, because this evidence comes exclusively from an in vivo rabbit study with small sample sizes, the technology remains at an early preclinical stage of research and requires extensive further testing before human application.
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AIMS: The present study investigates the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) gel without adjunct to induce cartilage regeneration in large osteochondral defects in a rabbit model. METHODS: A bilateral osteochondral defect was created in the femoral trochlear groove of 14 New Zealand white rabbits. The right knees were filled with PRP gel and the contralateral knees remained untreated and served as control sides. Some animals were killed at week 3 and others at week 12 postoperatively. The joints were harvested and assessed by Magnetic Resonance Observation of Cartilage Repair Tissue (MOCART) MRI scoring system, and examined using the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) macroscopic and ICRS histological scoring systems. Additionally, the collagen type II content was evaluated by the immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: After 12 weeks post-surgery, the defects of the PRP group were repaired by hyaline cartilage-like tissue. However, incomplete cartilage regeneration was observed in the PRP group for three weeks. The control groups showed fibrocartilaginous or fibrous tissue, respectively, at each timepoint. CONCLUSION: 2021;10(3):192-202.
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DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.103.bjr-2020-0087.r2
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