title: Chitosan-based scaffold modified with D-(+) raffinose for cartilage repair: an in vivo study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Osteochondral defects significantly affect patients' quality of life and represent challenging tissue lesions, because of the poor regenerative capacity of cartilage. Tissue engineering has long sought to promote cartilage repair, by employing artificial scaffolds to enhance cell capacity to deposit new cartilage. An ideal biomaterial should closely mimic the natural environment of the tissue, to promote scaffold colonization, cell differentiation and the maintenance of a differentiated cellular phenotype. The present study evaluated chitosan scaffolds enriched with D-(+) raffinose in osteochondral defects in rabbits. Cartilage defects were created in distal femurs, both on the condyle and on the trochlea, and were left untreated or received a chitosan scaffold. The animals were sacrificed after 2 or 4 weeks, and samples were analysed microscopically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The retrieved implants were surrounded by a fibrous capsule and contained a noticeable inflammatory infiltrate. No hyaline cartilage was formed in the defects. Although defect closure reached approximately 100% in the control group after 4 weeks, defects did not completely heal when filled with chitosan. In these samples, the lesion contained granulation tissue at 2 weeks, which was then replaced by fibrous connective tissue by week 4. Noteworthy, chitosan never appeared to be integrated in the surrounding cartilage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, the present study highlights the limits of D-(+) raffinose-enriched chitosan for cartilage regeneration and offers useful information for further development of this material for tissue repair.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Via del Taglio 10, 43126, Parma, Italy. francesca.ravanetti@unipr.it.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ravanetti
authors.affiliation: Dip. Sc. Biomediche, Biotecnologiche e Traslazionali, University of Parma, Via A. Gramsci 14, 43126, Parma, Italy. carlo.galli@unipr.it.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Galli
authors.affiliation: Dip. Sc. Biomediche, Biotecnologiche e Traslazionali, University of Parma, Via A. Gramsci 14, 43126, Parma, Italy. edoardomanfredi@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Manfredi
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Via del Taglio 10, 43126, Parma, Italy. annamaria.cantoni@unipr.it.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Cantoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Via del Taglio 10, 43126, Parma, Italy. edoardo.scarpa@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Scarpa
authors.affiliation: Dip. Sc. Biomediche, Biotecnologiche e Traslazionali, University of Parma, Via A. Gramsci 14, 43126, Parma, Italy. guidomaria.macaluso@unipr.it.
authors.forename: Guido Maria
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Macaluso
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Via del Taglio 10, 43126, Parma, Italy. antonio.cacchioli@unipr.it.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cacchioli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002357:Cartilage Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D048271:Chitosan / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits; D011887:Raffinose / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D048271:Chitosan; D011887:Raffinose