Biomechanical assessment of a novel meniscal scaffold compared to partial meniscectomy: A study on porcine meniscal injury

This study aimed to investigate the appropriate size of scaffold implantation on stress distribution and evaluate its mechanical and biomechanical properties considering hydrolysis. The meniscus acts as a load distribution in the knee, and its biomechanical properties are essential for the development of the PGA scaffold. We established a novel meniscal scaffold, which consists of polyglycolic acid (PGA) covered with L-lactide- ε-caprolactone copolymer (P[LA/CL]). After 4 weeks of hydrolysis, the scaffold had a 7% volume reduction compared to the initial volume. In biomechanical tests, the implantation of scaffolds 20% larger than the circumferential and vertical defect size results in greater contact stress than the in tact meniscus. In the mechanical evaluation associated with the decomposition behavior, the strength decreased after 4 weeks of hydrolysis. Meanwhile, in the biomechanical test considering hydrolysis, contact stress and area equivalent to intact were obtained after 4 weeks of hydrolysis. In conc lusion, the implantation of the PGA scaffold might be a useful alternative to partial meniscectomy in terms of mechanical properties, and the PGA scaffold should be implanted up to 20% of the defect size.

Source: Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials - November 15, 2022 Category: Materials Science Authors: Shunsuke Sezaki, Shuhei Otsuki, Kuniaki Ikeda, Takashi Ishitani, Yoshinori Okamoto, Hitoshi Wakama, Junya Matsuyama, Kaito Nakamura, Masashi Neo Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research