title: [Repair of articular cartilage defect with homogeneous chondrocytes combined with pluronic].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the possibility of repairing the cartilage cartilage defect with homogeneous chondrocytes combined with Pluronic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Homogeneous cartilage chondrocytes of adult New Zealand rabbits were harvested and cultured in vitro, which were marked by 3H-TdR and mixed with Pluronic. The medial or lateral condyle defects were made (phi 4 mm, extending down to the calcified zone) in 20 rabbits. In the experimental group, the right defects were repaired by homogeneous chondrocytes combined with Pluronic; in the control group, the left defects were repaired by Pluronic only or were left un-repaired. The animals were sacrificed in the 4th, 8th and 16th weeks after operation respectively. The repair results were observed and the cell source of repair tissue was distinguished.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the experimental group, the cartilage defects were repaired by the cartilage-like tissue after 8 weeks of operation; the defects were completely filled with mature cartilage tissue, which integrated smoothly with articular cartilage 16 weeks later. In the control group, only a small amount fibrous tissues were seen on the surface of defects. Autoradiographic assessment showed that the repair cells came from the implants, but not from self-chondrocytes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is a good way to repair articular cartilage defects with homograft of tissue engineering cartilage. It is a convenient method to mark with 3H-TdR to discriminate the resource of the repair cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou Fujian, P.R. China 350005.
authors.forename: Jian-hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Zhao-yang
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000166:cytology / Q000293:injuries / Q000637:transplantation*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D020442:Poloxamer; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D011817:Rabbits; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D020442:Poloxamer