Experimental Study in Meniscal Allograft Transplantation

Research Project

Project/Area Number	02670646
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Orthopaedic surgery
Research Institution	Chiba Univ. School of Medicine
Principal Investigator	AKITA Tohru Chiba Univ. School of Med. Assistant, 医学部, 助手 (20212425)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	MORIYA Hideshige Chiba Univ. School of Med Professor, 医学部, 教授 (30092109)
Project Period (FY)	1990 – 1991
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 1991)
Budget Amount *help	¥2,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,300,000) Fiscal Year 1991: ¥1,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000) Fiscal Year 1990: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000)
Keywords	Meniscal transplantation / Allograft / Immunosuppression / Cryopreservation / オ-トラジオグラフィ-
Research Abstract	In order to clarify the role of the immune response following meniscal allo-trnsplantation, we orthotopically transplanted meniscal allografts in rats. The experiments were designed to examine the possibilities of meniscal allograft transplantation ; also the effects of cryopreservation on the grafts in techniques which used immunologically minor mismatched rat groups(Fistier 344 and Lewis). Three minor mismatched groups of rats received ; 1.16 fresh, meniscal allografts without immunosuppression. 2.6 fresh meniscal allografts with immunosuppression. 3.8 cryopreserved meniscal allografts without immunosuppression. In 12 of the Fisher 344 rats, the menisci were transplanted as isograft controls. The transplanted allografts were evaluated histologically at various intervals from 4 to 21 weeks and at one year in the isograft controls. The isograft meniscal transplantations were all successful at one year. In the immunosuppressed rats, the fresh allograft appearances resembled those of the isografts. However, the fresh allografts behaved very differently from the isograft group in non-immunosuppressed rats. The allografts were invaded by synovial tissue and became virtually scar tissue by 21 weeks. However, cryopreserved meniscal allografts seemed to be completely preserved and did not show any degenerative changes at up to 21 weeks after transplantation in rats without immunosuppression.