Bonding and fusion of meniscus fibrocartilage using a novel chondroitin sulfate bone marrow tissue adhesive.

The weak intrinsic meniscus healing response and technical challenges associated with meniscus repair contribute to a high rate of repair failures and meniscectomies. Given this limited healing response, the development of biologically active adjuncts to meniscal repair may hold the key to improving meniscal repair success rates. This study demonstrates the development of a bone marrow (BM) adhesive that binds, stabilizes, and stimulates fusion at the interface of meniscus tissues.

An adhesive bone marrow scaffold and bone morphogenetic-2 protein carrier for cartilage tissue engineering.

A chondroitin sulfate-bone marrow (CS-BM) adhesive hydrogel was used to localize rhBMP-2 to enhance articular cartilage tissue formation. Chondrocyte pellet culture revealed that 0.1 and 1 μg/mL of rhBMP-2 enhanced sulfated-GAG content.

Lubricin distribution in the human intervertebral disc.

Background: Previous studies have identified lubricin (also known as superficial zone protein) as a lubricating glycoprotein present in several musculoskeletal tissues including articular cartilage, meniscus, and tendon. In this immunohistochemical study, we determined the presence and distribution of lubricin in the cells, extracellular matrix, and tissue surfaces of human nucleus pulposus and anulus fibrosus tissues.

Methods: Twenty-eight human intervertebral discs were resected at autopsy from fourteen cadavers.