Regenerative Medicine: Effect of Treatment with Biphasic Cross-Linked Hyaluronic Acid in Osteochondral Lesions

Abstract

Objective: To demonstrate whether treatment with biphasic cross-linked hyaluronic acid in osteochondral lesions promotes the regeneration of cartilage tissue. Materials and Methods: Fifteen adult female rabbits were randomly assigned to three groups. G1 was the control group, whereas G2 and G3 underwent surgery to treat an osteochondral injury in the right knee (4mm diameter, 5mm depth). G3 received treatment with 0.2 ml of hyaluronic acid intrarticularly after surgery. Clinical, biochemical, histopathological controls and imaging studies were performed. Results: Clinically, G3 exhibited less pain on palpation than G2 after 45 days. In G3, almost all samples showed evidence of cartilage tissue regeneration at the injury site, with neither bone edema or considerable joint effusion detected on MRI. The histological tests of G3 samples revealed an increase in the extracellular matrix of cartilaginous tissue when compared to G2, with hypercellularity caused by chondrocytes that formed axial and coronal isogenic groups. Conclusions: This study pides evidence that treatment with biphasic crovross-linked hyaluronic acid in experimental units of rabbits with osteochondral injuries did not cause pain in the early stages of the injury. In turn, imaging and histopathological studies revealed that the injured tissue had been repaired.