Enhancement of Anterior cruciate ligament injury repairing using connective tissue growth factor in a rabbit model

Abstract

The study was to evaluate the contribution of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) to the regeneration of the torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a rabbit. ACL transection surgeries were performed on both knees of male New Zealand rabbits. Then injury reparation was done as follows: 0.5ml fibrin glue (FG) alone (FG-treated group, n=24 knees) and 0.5ml FG dissolve with 15ng CTGF (CTGF/FG-treated group, n=24 knees). At 2 or 6 weeks after surgery, the ACLs were characterized histologically (n=6 knees) and biomechanically (n=6 knees). The healing effect of the CTGF/FG-treated group was obviously better than that of the FG-treated group, with an increased amount of collagen fibers and fibroblasts in the ligament tissue. After 2 or 6 weeks of healing, CTGF/FG-treated group exhibited significantly higher maximum loads of 8.50±0.58N and 16.35±1.16N, compared with the control group (7.52±0.80N and 13.60±1.35N). And the stiffness of CTGF/FG-treated group at 2 or 6 weeks post-intervention (5.59±1.24N/mm and 11.64±2.21N/mm) was remarkably higher than that the control group (3.74±0.89N/mm and 6.83±2.51N/mm). CTGF could serve as a potentially attractive tool for improving ACL injury treatment by promoting the regeneration of related cells.