Objective To explore the method of preparing spongy and porous scaffold materials with swine articular cartilage acellular matrix and to investigate its appl icabil ity for tissue engineered articular cartilage scaffold. Methods Fresh swine articular cartilage was freeze-dried and freeze-ground into microparticles. The microparticles with diameter of less than 90 μm were sieved and treated sequentially with TNE, pepsin and hypotonic solution for decellularization at cryogenic temperatures. Colloidal suspension with a mass/volume ratio of 2% was prepared by dissolving the microparticles into 1.5% HAc, and then was lyophil ized for molding and cross-l inked by UV radiation to prepare the decellularized cartilage matrix sponge. Physicochemical property detection was performed to identify aperture, porosity and water absorption rate. Histology and scanning electron microscope observations were conducted. The prepared acellular cartilage matrix sponge was implanted into the bilateral area of spine in 24 SD rats subcutaneously (experimental group), and the implantation of Col I sponge served as control group. The rats were killed 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after operation to receive histology observation, and the absorption and degeneration conditions of the sponge in vivo were analyzed. BMSCsobtained from femoral marrow of 1-week-old New Zealand white rabbits were cultured. The cells at passage 3 were cultured with acellular cartilage matrix sponge l ixivium at 50% (group A), acellular cartilage matrix sponge l ixivium at 100% (group B), and DMEM culture medium (group C), respectively. Cell prol iferation was detected by MTT method 2, 4, and 6 days after culture. Results The prepared acellular cartilage matrix sponge was white and porous. Histology observation suggested that the sponge scaffold consisted primarily of collagen without chondrocyte fragments. Scanning electron microscope demonstrated that the scaffold had porous and honeycomb-shaped structure, the pores were interconnected and even in size. The water absorption rate was 20.29% ± 25.30%, the aperture was (90.66 ± 21.26) μm, and the porosity of the scaffold was 90.10% ± 2.42%. The tissue grew into the scaffold after the subcutaneous implantation of scaffold into the SD rats, angiogenesis was observed, inflammatory reaction was mild compared with the control group, and the scaffold was degraded and absorbed at a certain rate. MTT detection suggested that there were no significant differences among three groups in terms of absorbance (A) value 2 and 4 days after culturing with the l ixivium (P gt; 0.05), but significant differences were evident among three groups 6 days after culturing with the l ixivium (P lt; 0.05). Conclusion With modified treatment and processing, the cartilage acellular matrix sponge scaffold reserves the main components of cartilage extracellular matrix after thorough decellularization, has appropriate aperture and porosity, and provides even distribution of pores and good biocompatibil ity without cytotoxicity. It can be used as an ideal scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering.
Objective Mesh infection may occur after incisional hernia repair using prosthetic mesh. Preparation of antibiotics-bonded meshes to prevent infection is one of the solutions. To evaluate the anti-infection effect of polypropylene mesh bonded norvancomycin slow-release microsphere by preparing the rat model of incisional hernia repair contaminatedwith Staphylococcus aureus. Methods The norvancomycin slow-release microspheres were prepared by emulsion and solvent evaporation method and they were bonded to polypropylene mesh (50 mg/mesh). The appearance of the microspheres was observed using scanning electronic microscope (SEM). The content of norvancomycin in microspheres and the release rate of the norvancomycin in norvancomycin-bonded polypropylene mesh were detected using high performance l iquid chromatography method. The rat models of incisional hernia were developed in 40 healthy Sprague Dawley rats, aged 10-11 weeks and weighing 200-250 g. The rats were divided randomly into the experimental group (norvancomycin-bonded polypropylene mesh repair, n=20) and the control group (polypropylene mesh repair, n=20). And then the mesh was contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus. The wound heal ing was observed after operation. At 3 weeks after operation, the mesh and the tissue around the mesh were harvested to perform histological observation and to classify the inflammatory reaction degree. Results The norvancomycin microsphere had integrated appearance and smooth surface with uniform particle diameter, 64% of particlediameter at 60 to 100 μm, and the loading-capacity of norvancomycin was 19.79%. The norvancomycin-bonded polypropylene patch had well-distributed surface and the loading-capacity of norvancomycin was (7.90 ± 0.85) mg/cm2. The release time of norvancomycin in vitro could last above 28 days and the accumulative release rate was 72.6%. The rats of 2 groups all survived to experiment completion. Wound infection occurred in 2 rats of the experimental group (10%) and 20 rats of the control group (100%), showing significant difference (χ2=32.727 3, P=0.000 0). The inflammatory reaction in experimental group was not obvious, grade I in 16 rats and grade II in 4 rats, and numerous inflammatory cell infiltration occurred in the control group, grade II in 3 rats and grade III in 17 rats, showing significant difference (Z=32.314, P=0.000). Conclusion The polypropylene mesh bonded norvancomycin slow-release microsphere has definite anti-infection effect in rat model of incisional hernia repair contaminated by Staphylococcus aureus.