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Repair of articular cartilage lesions in aged chickens by allogeneic transplantation of fresh embryonic epiphyses

  • Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine
  • Published:
Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Introduction

The potential of fresh whole chick epiphyses of embryonic origin to serve as implant material for cartilage defects of aged chicken was tested.

Materials and methods

Fresh epiphyses of 11-day-old embryos were collected from 24 animals and transplanted into defects created in the weight-bearing areas of tibiotarsal joint cartilage of 2-year-old chicks. Upon sacrifice, samples were examined macroscopically and microsections were prepared for histology.

Results

Macroscopically, control defects remained empty at all the time intervals. Defects of the experimental group were, on the other hand, filled with cartilaginous tissue as early as 2 weeks posttransplantation, although individual epiphyses could still be noted in the implant tissue. At 4 weeks and later, defects were filled with cartilaginous material indistinguishable from hyaline cartilage. Histologically, all grafts remained within the defect’s pits, showing mitotic and metabolic activity typical to proliferating hyaline cartilage. The engrafted epiphyses showed a partial incorporation and integration with the surrounding host tissues already at 2 weeks. At 4 weeks and later, the integration was complete.

Conclusions

It is concluded that a chick embryonic epiphyseal cartilage is suitable as a graft source for articular cartilage transplantation. The embryonic epiphyses provide immediate inherent stability to the graft and supply a good mix of mesenchymal progenitor cells responsible for the high rate of cell proliferation and adhesion to the differentiated committed chondrocytes of the host that create the typical favorable chondrogenic milieu. Based on the present findings, it is postulated that human embryonic epiphyses may, in the future, represent an alternative source to the commonly used techniques of hyaline cartilage repair.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, The Golda Campus, 7th Keren Kayemet Street, Petah-Tikva, 49372, Israel

    Ilan Cohen, Eitan Melamed & Dror Robinson

  2. Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Zvi Nevo

Authors
  1. Ilan Cohen
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  2. Eitan Melamed
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  3. Dror Robinson
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  4. Zvi Nevo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eitan Melamed.

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We declare that the experiments comply with the current laws of the state of Israel

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Cohen, I., Melamed, E., Robinson, D. et al. Repair of articular cartilage lesions in aged chickens by allogeneic transplantation of fresh embryonic epiphyses. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg 127, 763–768 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00402-006-0204-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00402-006-0204-8

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