title: Regional comparisons of porcine menisci.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to analyze histologic, biochemical, and biomechanical differences between zonal, regional, and anatomic locations of porcine menisci. We evaluated six menisci removed from pigs. Medial and lateral menisci were divided into three regions: anterior, middle, and posterior. In each portion, the central zone (CZ) and peripheral zone (PZ) were examined histologically (hematoxylin & eosin, safranin O/Fast green, and picrosiriusred staining), using scanning electron microscopy, biochemically (hydroxyproline assay for collagen content and dimethylmethylene blue assay for glycosaminoglycan [GAG] content), and biomechanically (compression testing). Collagen content in the CZ was lower than that in the PZ. GAG content in the CZ was higher than that in the PZ. GAG content in the PZ of the posterior portion was significantly higher than that in the anterior and middle portions. Compression strength in the CZ was higher than that in the PZ. The differences in cellular phenotype, vascular penetration, and ECM not only between CZ and PZ but also among the anterior, middle, and posterior portions were clarified in the immature porcine meniscus. This result helps further our understanding of the biological characteristic of the meniscus. © 2014 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 32:1602-1611, 2014.
authors.affiliation: Department of Motor Function Analysis, Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Xiangkai
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Tomoki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aoyama
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tajino
authors.forename: Momoko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: Shoki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Hirotaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iijima
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuroki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000032:analysis; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D003094:Collagen
keywords: extracellular matrix; meniscus; porcine; structure