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The effect of platelet rich plasma combined with microfracture for the treatment of chondral defect in a rabbit knee

  • Original Article
  • Regenerative Medicine
  • Published:
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Aims and scope

Abstract

Recently, many clinical studies have been published regarding platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection for early degenerative joint disease. We evaluated the cartilage repair potential of platelet-rich plasma when injected into the knee joint. Articular, cartilage defects 4 mm in diameter and circular in shape were made in the trochlear region of 20 knees in 10 New Zealand white rabbits who were divided into two groups. The left knees in the control group underwent microfracture, and the right knees in the experimental group underwent microfracture with subsequent injection of platelet-rich plasma. At week 12 following the surgery, the cartilage was observed macroscopically and histologically compared in the two groups. The control group showed incomplete and irregular fibrous tissue formation in the defect. The experimental group showed nearly complete defect coverage with neo-cartilage. In the histologic scoring, comparison of the control group and the experimental group differed significantly (p < 0.05).Therefore, injection of platelet-rich plasma used to treat articular cartilage defects of the knee appears to have some effect for cartilage regeneration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea

    Sung Woo Huh, Seok Jung Kim, Nam Yong Choi & In Joo Park

  2. Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Canterbury Christ Church University, 30 Pembroke Court, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4UF, UK

    Asode Ananthram Shetty

  3. Department of Nursing Education & Administration, Uijongbu St. Mary’s hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea

    Young Ju Kim

  4. Department of Plastic Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea

    Young Joon Jun

Authors
  1. Sung Woo Huh
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  2. Asode Ananthram Shetty
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  3. Seok Jung Kim
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  4. Young Ju Kim
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  5. Nam Yong Choi
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  6. Young Joon Jun
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  7. In Joo Park
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Correspondence to Seok Jung Kim.

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Huh, S.W., Shetty, A.A., Kim, S.J. et al. The effect of platelet rich plasma combined with microfracture for the treatment of chondral defect in a rabbit knee. Tissue Eng Regen Med 11, 178–185 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13770-013-1115-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13770-013-1115-8

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