Tissue-engineered meniscal cartilage: Histological and biomechanical results in a rabbit model

초록

The regeneration of mensical cartilage in a rabbit model was histochemically and biomechanically investigated using tissue engineering. The meniscal cells were isolated from meniscal cartilage of New Zealand white rabbits. The cells were cultured in DMEM/F12 medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum. The cells were seeded onto the polymer scaffolds, and transplanted to rabbit knee joints. The scanning electron microscopic examinations exhibited that meniscal cells adhered well to the scaffolds. The results show that meniscal cell transplantation with meniscus-shaped biodegradable polymer scaffolds lead to the regeneration of neomenisci with shape and histological structures similar to those of native mensicus.