Costal cartilage transplantation for treatment of growth plate injury in a rabbit model

The regenerative treatment of costal osteochondral graft implantation for partial growth arrest using a rabbit model

PURPOSE

To investigate the feasibility of cylindrical costal osteochondral graft transplantation as a novel regenerative treatment in growth arrest.

METHODS

The medial portion of the proximal tibial growth plate of 6-week-old male New Zealand White rabbits was resected to establish an experimental model of partial growth plate injury. The rabbits were divided into four groups: no-treatment, bone wax transplantation, costal chondral graft, and costal osteochondral graft groups. Radiographic and micro-computed tomography scan results were analyzed to evaluate angular deformity of the tibia and bony bridge formation at the injury site. In addition, repair of the injured growth plate cartilage was assessed histologically at 4, 8, and 12 weeks postoperatively.

RESULTS

Radiographic examination revealed that bone wax transplantation continuously decreased the medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA) while the costal chondral graft implantation reduced the decrease of MPTA at 12 weeks postoperatively. The costal osteochondral graft implantation recovered the MPTA, close to the normal. Histologically, the costal osteochondral grafts retained the MPTA in the injured site compared to costal chondral grafts. Additionally, hypertrophic chondrocytes were observed at the graft site in the costal osteochondral graft group at 12 weeks, suggesting that endochondral ossification may occur at the graft site similar to normal ossification. The fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis of osteochondral grafts transplanted from male to female rabbits indicated that they were replaced by cells of host origin.

CONCLUSION

The costal osteochondral graft can achieve regeneration without bony bridge formation in partial growth plate injury.

Chondroitin Sulfate Improves Mechanical Properties of Gelatin Hydrogel for Cartilage Regeneration in Rats

Cartilage injury is a common disease in daily life. Especially in aging populations, the incidence of osteoarthritis is increasing. However, due to the poor regeneration ability of cartilage, most cartilage injuries cannot be effectively repaired. Even cartilage tissue engineering still faces many problems such as complex composition and poor integration of scaffolds and host tissues. In this study, chondroitin sulfate, one of the main components of extracellular matrix (ECM), is chosen as the main natural component of the material, which can protect cartilage in a variety of ways. Moreover, the results show that the addition of chondroitin sulfate improves the mechanical properties of gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogel, making it able to effectively bear mechanical loads in vivo. Further, chondroitin sulfate is modified to obtain the oxidized chondroitin sulfate (OCS) containing aldehyde groups via sodium periodate. This special group improves the interface integration and adhesion ability of the hydrogel to host cartilage tissue through schiff base reactions. In summary, GelMA/OCS hydrogel is a promising candidate for cartilage regeneration with good biocompatibility, mechanical properties, tissue integration ability, and excellent cartilage repair ability.

Tissue engineering in growth plate cartilage regeneration: Mechanisms to therapeutic strategies

The repair of growth plate injuries is a highly complex process that involves precise spatiotemporal regulation of multiple cell types. While significant progress has been made in understanding the pathological mechanisms underlying growth plate injuries, effectively regulating this process to regenerate the injured growth plate cartilage remains a challenge. Tissue engineering technology has emerged as a promising therapeutic approach for achieving tissue regeneration through the use of functional biological materials, seed cells and biological factors, and it is now widely applied to the regeneration of bone and cartilage. However, due to the unique structure and function of growth plate cartilage, distinct strategies are required for effective regeneration. Thus, this review provides an overview of current research on the application of tissue engineering to promote growth plate regeneration. It aims to elucidates the underlying mechanisms by which tissue engineering promotes growth plate regeneration and to provide novel insights and therapeutic strategies for future research on the regeneration of growth plate.

Desepiphysiodesis and Reconstruction of the Distal Radial Growth Plate with an Autologous Iliac Crest Cartilage Graft: A Case Report and Review of Literature

INTRODUCTION

The term "desepiphysiodesis" consists of removing a partial premature epiphyseal closure due to the formation of an osseous bridge and replacing it by interpositional inert material; in spite of the experimental evidence supporting the efficacy of autologous cartilage as interposition material into resection cavity to permit the remaining growth, this option, curiously, is not found in clinical practice and literature. Indeed, surgical treatment for partial growth injury, autogenous, fat, and non-biological grafts is most frequently transplanted after physeal bar resection to prevent and/or correct angular deformities.

CASE REPORT

This is a case report of a 10-year-old boy with an angular defect of the right distal radial growth plate which was the result of a post-traumatic lesion. The bone bridge was resected and replaced with an autologous block from the apophyseal cartilage of iliac crest.

CONCLUSION

We are aware of this is the second case reported, in which autologous physeal graft was successfully used, observing a satisfactory long-term evolution of the patient. This research shows that the treatment of growth arrest with autologous iliac crest apophyseal cartilage graft is an effective method that can yield excellent results.