Effects of Platelet-Rich Plasma & Platelet-Rich Fibrin with and without Stromal Cell-Derived Factor-1 on Repairing Full-Thickness Cartilage Defects in Knees of Rabbits

The purpose of this study was to create biomaterial scaffolds like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) containing stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF1) as a chemokine to induce hyaline cartilage regeneration of rabbit knee in a full thickness defect.
We created a full thickness defect in the trochlear groove of thirty-six bilateral knees of eighteen mature male rabbits. The knees were randomly divided into six groups (group I: untreated control, group II: PRP, group III: PRF, group IV: Gelatin䠱, group V: PRP䠱, and group VI: PRF䠱). After four weeks, the tissue specimens were evaluated by macroscopic examination and histological grading, immunofluorescent staining for collagen type II, and analyzed for cartilage marker genes by real-time PCR. The data were compared using statistical methods (SPSS 20, Kruskal-Wallis test, Bonferroni post hoc test and P Macroscopic evaluations revealed that international cartilage repair society (ICRS) scores of the PRF䠱 group were higher than other groups. Microscopic analysis showed that the ICRS score of the PRP group was significantly lower than other groups. Immunofluorescent staining for collagen II demonstrated a remarkable distribution of type II collagen in the Gel䠱, PRP䠱 and PRF䠱 groups compared with other groups. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that mRNA expression of SOX9 and aggrecan were significantly greater in the PRF䠱, PRP䠱, Gel䠱 and PRF groups than the control group (P Our results indicate that implantation of PRF scaffold containing SDF1 led to the greatest evaluation scores of full-thickness lesions in rabbits.