Preliminary Experimental Study On The Repair Of Cartilage Defect In The Rabbit With Autollogous Mesenchymal Stem Cells From Bone Marrow

Objective: To observe the autollogous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) implanted into the man-made defect articular cartilage of rabbits and investigate the effect of autollogous mesenchymal stem cells implantation in repair of damaged articular cartilage and the feasibility of Fibrin Sealant which served as a carrier. Methods:We draw-out the bone marrow from mature New Zealand white rabbits with a mean weight of 2. 5~3. 0 kg . The nucleated cells were separated from bone marrow cells by percoll and were cultured in culture flask. The media were gradually changed and non-adherent cells were removed subsequently. After reproduce the autollogous mesenchymal stem cells were implanted into a full-thickness cartilage defect which artificially made on the femoral groove of the rabbit as experimental group. The Fibrin Sealant without cells were served as a control and another control received nothing. 12 weeks after the implantation Specimens were observed and were evaluated in histology. Results: There are few mesenchymal stem cells in the bone marrow, its proportion in the bone marrow cells is only 1/10-5~1 / 10-6, but it reproduce so fastthat we can obtain enough cells to repair the defect of articular cartilage in litter time. 12 weeks after the implantation, in general in the experimental group the regenerated area were full with cartilage cells, it is excellent in appearance and histological evaluation than control groups. Conclusion: MSCs can be easily acquired and reproduce fast and are undifferentiated cells in the bone marrow with a potential to differentiate into variable cells, so MSCs is one of the best seed cells in repairing articular cartilage. FS can be used as a ideal carrier of cells transplantation, the operation of FS is simpleness and we will complete the work only covering the surface of defect , it is not necessary that mixed in cells. Though MSCs can differentiate into cartilage cells which are similar with normal cartilage cells in appearance and biochemistry, but it will be further researched that whether or not MSCs can hold the entire function of normal cartilage cells after differentiating and whether differentiating into cartilage cells is termination or a process of differentiate into osteoblast.