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The biomechanical response to doses of TGF‐β2 in the healing rabbit medial collateral ligament
Author(s) -
Spindler Kurt P.,
Murray Martha M.,
Detwiler Kenneth B.,
Tarter Jeremy T.,
Dawson John M.,
Nanney Lillian B.,
Davidson Jeffrey M.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of orthopaedic research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.041
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1554-527X
pISSN - 0736-0266
DOI - 10.1016/s0736-0266(02)00145-6
Subject(s) - medial collateral ligament , medicine , ligament , surgery
Ligament injuries result in significant disability in over 100,000 patients each year. Despite current methods of treatment, 13% of patients with medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury develop early signs of arthritis, suggesting an incomplete return of knee stability. The principal hypothesis of this work was that the addition of TGF‐β2 to the healing MCL would accelerate the development of scar strength and stiffness. Forty‐four rabbits were divided evenly into four groups, with each group receiving either 0.1, 1 or 5 μg of TGF‐β2 and the fourth group receiving 1 μg TGF‐β2 and 1 μg of PDGF. Each rabbit underwent bilateral transection of the MCL, with one side having treatment with one of four doses of growth factor and the other side left untreated. All animals were sacrificed at 6 weeks and the structural properties of maximum load at failure, stiffness, and energy absorbed at failure measured. All treatment groups demonstrated an increase in scar mass, but no group had a significant increase in scar load at failure at 6 weeks. The addition of 0.1 μg TGF‐β2 led to a significant increase in scar stiffness. The addition of PDGF had no significant effect on any of the parameters studied. This study suggests the mechanical stiffness, but not the load at failure, of ligament scar can be significantly altered by the administration of TGF‐β2. © 2002 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.