title: Enhancement of the osseointegration of a polyethylene terephthalate artificial ligament graft in a bone tunnel using 58S bioglass.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to investigate whether a bioactive glass (BG) coating on the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) artificial ligament could enhance graft osseointegration by promoting bone regeneration at the interface between PET graft and bone tunnel.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty New Zealand white rabbits underwent artificial ligament graft transplantation in proximal tibial tunnels bilaterally. One limb was implanted with a 58S BG-coated PET graft, and the contralateral limb was implanted with a non-BG-coated PET graft as a control. The rabbits were randomly sacrificed at three, six and 12 weeks after surgery for biomechanical and histological examinations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The maximum load to failures of the BG-coated experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group at 12 weeks (p = 0.0051). Histologically, at 12 weeks, the BG-coated PET graft induced great new bone formation between graft and host bone, and the average graft-bone interface width of the BG group became significantly lower than that of the control group. Furthermore, the BG coating on the ligament graft surface also stimulated greater expression of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) around the graft in vivo compared to the control group at three weeks (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study has shown that a BG coating on the PET artificial ligament surface has a positive effect in the induction of artificial ligament osseointegration within the bone tunnel.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, Huashan Hospital, No 12, Wulumuqi Zhong Road, Shanghai 200040, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shiyi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Yunsheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Pengyun
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lingxiang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002516:Ceramics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008023:Ligaments, Articular / Q000601:surgery* / Q000637:transplantation; D008297:Male; D016348:Osseointegration / Q000187:drug effects*; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D011817:Rabbits; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates