Tendon-bone healing after acute anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with versus without remnant preservation / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:Reconstruction with remnant preservation can enhance tendon-bone healing. However, the study limits on the histological level, and there is a lack of research based on the modular biological level. OBJECTIVE:To investigate whether anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with remnant preservation can enhance tendon-bone healing. METHODS:Seventy-two New Zealand rabbits were randomly al ocated to three groups (n=24 per group), fol owed by cruciate ligament reconstruction without remnant (group A), with remnant preservation (femoral tensioning and augmented suture) (group B) and with remnant preservation (graft passing remnant anterior cruciate ligament sheath) (group C), respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that the tendon-bone healing in the groups B and C surpassed that in the group A, and group B was better than group C. Real-time PCR revealed that the expression level of osteoprotegrin mRNA and the osteoprotegrin/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) ratio were greater in the groups B and C than in the group A, and highest in the group C, while the expression levels of RANKL mRNA in the groups B and C were lower than that in the group A. In conclusion, these two kinds of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction methods with remnant preservation can enhance tendon-bone healing, which have obtained most obvious achievements in the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in the graft passing anterior cruciate ligament remnant sheath that may be related to the up-regulation of osteoprotegrin mRNA and down-regulation of RANKL mRNA.