Mary Ann Liebert, Tissue Engineering Part C: Methods, 12(21), p. 1216-1225, 2015
DOI: 10.1089/ten.tec.2015.0117
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The present work investigated correlations between cartilage and subchondral bone repair, facilitated by a growth factor-delivering scaffold, in a rabbit osteochondral defect model. Histological scoring indices and micro-computed tomography morphological parameters were used to evaluate cartilage and bone repair, respectively, at 6 and 12 weeks. Correlation analysis revealed significant associations between specific cartilage indices and subchondral bone parameters that varied with location in the defect (cortical vs trabecular region), time point (6 vs 12 weeks), and experimental group (insulin-like growth factor-1 only, bone morphogenetic protein-2 only, or both growth factors). In particular, significant correlations consistently existed between cartilage surface regularity and bone quantity parameters. Overall, correlation analysis between cartilage and bone repair provided a fuller understanding of osteochondral repair and can help drive informed studies for future osteochondral regeneration strategies.