title: Development of a cartilage composite utilizing porous tantalum, fibrin, and rabbit chondrocytes for treatment of cartilage defect.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Functional tissue engineering has emerged as a potential means for treatment of cartilage defect. Development of a stable cartilage composite is considered to be a good option. The aim of the study was to observe whether the incorporation of cultured chondrocytes on porous tantalum utilizing fibrin as a cell carrier would promote cartilage tissue formation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rabbit articular chondrocytes were cultured and seeded onto tantalum with fibrin as temporary matrix in a composite, which was divided into three groups. The first group was kept in vitro while a total of 12 constructs were implanted into the dorsum of mice for the second and third groups. The implanted tissues were harvested after 4 weeks (second group) and after 8 weeks (third group). Specific characteristic of cartilage growth were studied by histological and biochemical assessment, immunohistochemistry, and quantitative PCR analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Histological and biochemical evaluation of the formed cartilage using hematoxylin and eosin and Alcian blue staining showed lacunae chondrocytes embedded in the proteoglycan rich matrix. Dimethylmethylene blue assay demonstrated high glycosaminoglycans content in the removed tissue following 8 weeks of implantation. Immunohistochemistry results showed the composites after implantation expressed high collagen type II. Quantitative PCR results confirmed a significant increase in cartilage associated genes expression (collagen type II, AggC, Sox 9) after implantation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tantalum scaffold with fibrin as cell carrier promotes chondrocyte proliferation and cartilaginous tissue formation. Producing hyaline cartilage within a stable construct of tantalum and fibrin has a potential for treatment of cartilage defect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. drkortho@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kamal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jamil
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ckienhui@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Kien-Hui
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Chua
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. afshin_jou1970@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Samad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joudi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ngsl0306@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Sook-Luan
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. nhmycj@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nor Hamdan
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Yahaya
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001168:Arthritis / Q000628:therapy*; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*; D005337:Fibrin; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D011817:Rabbits; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013635:Tantalum; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
chemical_list: D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; C020341:glucosaminoglycans; D013635:Tantalum; D005337:Fibrin