Effects of bilayer gelatin/β-tricalcium phosphate sponges loaded with mesenchymal stem cells, chondrocytes, bone morphogenetic protein-2, and platelet rich plasma on osteochondral defects of the talus in horses.

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of using bi-layer gelatin and β-tricalcium phosphate sponges loaded with mesenchymal stem cells, chondrocytes, bone morphogenetic protein-2, and platelet rich plasma in healing joint defects in horses. The research showed that these loaded sponges significantly improved repair over using sponges alone, suggesting a new method for treating a common joint disorder in horses.

Research Objectives and Methodology

The research aimed to determine the efficacy of a bilayer gelatin/β-tricalcium phosphate sponge, loaded with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), chondrocytes, bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), and platelet rich plasma (PRP), in repairing osteochondral defects in horses.

• The study involves a comparison between a test group and a control group.
• Osteochondral defects were manually created on the test group horses’ taluses.
• In the test group, the sponge was filled with MSCs and BMP-2 (MSC/BMP2/GT) and inserted into the lower part of the defect.
• An acidic GT sponge filled with chondrocyte, MSCs, and PRP (Ch/MSC/PRP/GT) was inserted into the upper part of the defect.
• In contrast, the control group’s defects were only treated with bilayer GT sponges.

Results and Assessments

The researchers assessed the repair of the osteochondral defects through various techniques.

• These evaluation methods included radiography, quantitative computed tomography (QCT), macroscopic, and histological evaluation.
• The research found that the test group displayed significantly higher success rates in the radiographic, QCT, macroscopic, and histological scores compared to the control group.
• These results suggest that the osteochondral regeneration in the test group was promoted by using the bilayer scaffolds.
• The bilayer scaffolds consisted of one layer for chondrocyte promotion (Ch/MSC/PRP/GT) and another for osteogenic (bone formation) promotion (MSC/BMP2/GT).

Conclusion

From the findings, the researchers concluded that the bilayer scaffolds method could be useful in treating horses with osteochondrosis. The study demonstrates that the loaded sponges resulted in a significantly improved repair of the osteochondral defects over using the sponges alone. Thus, this innovation could present a new treatment option for this common and important joint disorder in horses.