Quantitative Analysis of Collagen Network Structure and Fibril Dimensions in Cartilage Repair with Autologous Chondrocyte Transplantation.
Summary of "Quantitative Analysis of Collagen Network Structure and Fibril Dimensions in Cartilage Repair with Autologous Chondrocyte Transplantation."
Objective: The aim of this study was to undertake a stereological analysis to quantify the dimensions of the collagen network in the repair tissue of porcine joints after they had been subjected to autologous chondrocyte transplantation (ACT). Method: ACT was used to repair cartilage lesions in knee joints of pigs. Electron-microscopic stereology, immunostaining for type II collagen, and quantitative polarized-light microscopy were utilized to study the collagen fibrils in the repair tissue 3 and 12 months after the operation. Results: The collagen volume density (V(V)) was lower in the repair tissue than in normal cartilage at 3 months (20.4 vs. 23.7%) after the operation. The collagen surface density (S(V), 1.5.10(-2) vs. 3.1.10(-2) nm(2)/nm(3)) and V(V) increased with time in the repair tissue (20.4 vs. 44.7%). Quantitative polarized-light microscopy detected a higher degree of collagen parallelism in the repair tissue at 3 months after the operation (55.7 vs. 49.7%). In contrast, 1 year after the operation, fibril parallelism was lower in the repair tissue than in the control cartilage (47.5 vs. 69.8%). Conclusion: Following ACT, V(V) and S(V) increased in the repair tissue with time, reflecting maturation of the tissue. One year after the operation, there was a lower level of fibril organization in the repair tissue than in the control cartilage. Thus, the newly synthesized collagen fibrils in the repair tissue appeared to form a denser network than in the control cartilage, but the fibrils remained more randomly oriented.
Affiliation
Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland.
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: Cells, tissues, organs
ISSN: 1422-6421
Pages:
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20664251
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000319469
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Collagen Type Ix
A fibril-associated collagen usually found crosslinked to the surface of COLLAGEN TYPE II fibrils. It is a heterotrimer containing alpha1(IX), alpha2(IX) and alpha3(IX) subunits.
Hyaline Cartilage
A type of CARTILAGE characterized by a homogenous amorphous matrix containing predominately TYPE II COLLAGEN and ground substance. Hyaline cartilage is found in ARTICULAR CARTILAGE; LARYNGEAL CARTILAGES; and the NASAL SEPTUM.
Collagen Type Xii
A fibril-associated collagen found in many tissues bearing high tensile stress, such as TENDONS and LIGAMENTS. It is comprised of a trimer of three identical alpha1(XII) chains.
Quantitative Structure-activity Relationship
A quantitative prediction of the biological, ecotoxicological or pharmaceutical activity of a molecule. It is based upon structure and activity information gathered from a series of similar compounds.
Collagen Type Xi
A fibrillar collagen found primarily in interstitial CARTILAGE. Collagen type XI is heterotrimer containing alpha1(XI), alpha2(XI) and alpha3(XI) subunits.
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