Intraarticular Implantation of Autologous Chondrocytes Placed on Collagen or Polyethersulfone Scaffolds: An Experimental Study in Rabbits

Hyaline cartilage has very limited repair capability and cannot be rebuilt predictably using conventional treatments. This study presents Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI) on two different scaffolds for the treatment of lesions in hyaline cartilage in rabbits. The first one is a commercially available scaffold (Chondro–Gide) made of collagen type I/III and the second one is a polyethersulfone (PES) synthetic membrane, manufactured by phase inversion. The revolutionary idea in the present study is the fact that we used PES membranes, which have unique features and benefits that are desirable for the 3D cultivation of chondrocytes. Sixty-four White New Zealand rabbits were used in this research. Defects penetrating into the subchondral bone were filled with or without the placement of chondrocytes on collagen or PES membranes after two weeks of culture. The expression of the gene encoding type II procollagen, a molecular marker of chondrocytes, was evaluated. Elemental analysis was performed to estimate the weight of tissue grown on the PES membrane. The reparative tissue was analyzed macroscopically and histologically after surgery at 12, 25, and 52 weeks. RT-PCR analysis of the mRNA isolated from cells detached from the polysulphonic membrane revealed the expression of type II procollagen. The elementary analysis of polysulphonic membrane slices after 2 weeks of culture with chondrocytes revealed a concentration of 0.23 mg of tissue on one part of the membrane. Macroscopic and microscopic evaluation indicated that the quality of regenerated tissue was similar after the transplantation of cells placed on polysulphonic or collagen membranes. The established method for the culture and transplantation of chondrocytes placed on polysulphonic membranes resulted in the growth of the regenerated tissue, revealing the morphology of hyaline-like cartilage to be of similar quality to collagen membranes.