Articular cartilage has a limited capacity for self-renewal. This article reports the development of a porous hydroxyapatite/collagen (HAp/Col) scaffold as a bone void filler and a vehicle for drug administration. The scaffold consists of HAp nanocrystals and type I atelocollagen. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of porous HAp/Col impregnated with FGF-2 to repair large osteochondral defects in a rabbit model. Ninety-six cylindrical osteochondral defects 5 mm in diameter and 5 mm in depth were created in the femoral trochlear groove of the right knee. Animals were assigned to one of four treatment groups: porous HAp/Col impregnated with 50 microl of FGF-2 at a concentration of 10 or 100 microg/ml (FGF10 or FGF100 group); porous HAp/Col with 50 microl of PBS (HAp/Col group); and no implantation (defect group). The defect areas were examined grossly and histologically. Subchondral bone regeneration was quantified 3, 6, 12, and 24 weeks after surgery. Abundant bone formation was observed in the HAp/Col implanted groups as compared to the defect group. The FGF10 group displayed not only the most abundant bone regeneration but also the most satisfactory cartilage regeneration, with cartilage presenting a hyaline-like appearance. These findings suggest that porous HAp/Col with FGF-2 augments the cartilage repair process.
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