Application of platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of osteochondral defects in animal testing
Background. The use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a promising and very popular technique to improve the regeneration of the affected tissues of the musculoskeletal system. However, insufficient evidence base necessitates conducting researches to study the effectiveness of this treatment method. Purpose to assess the effectiveness of PRP in the treatment of intra-articular osteochondral injuries and defects in an experiment on 24 animals (rabbits) by morphological studies and morphometric analysis. Materials and methods. Morphometric analysis of preparations obtained from 24 experimental animals, which were divided into three groups (2 control and 1 experimental), was carried out to determine the nature and structure of the regenerate, its integration into the surrounding tissues, to assess the content of cellular structures and non-cellular elements formed in the defect in various series of experiment. A modified scale of S.W. O’Driscoll et al. and S.R. Frenkel et al. was used. Results. Analysis of study results using a modified scale of histological evaluation showed that hyaline cartilage was present only in the regenerate of experimental animals of series No. 3, in which PRP was used. Significant delamination of the cartilage surface was not detected in these animals, structural integration was high, the density of articular cartilage around the edges of the defect significantly exceeded the control values. Degenerative changes in chondrocytes prevailed in control animals. The rearrangement of the subchondral bone under the defect area was statistically different in the studied and control animals. The statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between the studied and control groups (P < 0.001, t = 4.8), which indicates the effectiveness of PRP. Conclusions. The results of the study confirmed the effectiveness of PRP for the treatment of patients with intra-articular osteochondral lesions and defects.