• Volker M Betz, Alexander Keller, Peter Foehr, Christian Thirion, Michael Salomon, Stefan Rammelt, Hans Zwipp, Rainer Burgkart, Volkmar Jansson, Peter E Müller, and Oliver B Betz.
• University Center of Orthopaedics and Traumatology and Center for Translational Bone, Joint and Soft Tissue Research, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
• J Gene Med. 2017 Sep 1; 19 (9-10).

BackgroundPreviously published data indicate that BMP-2 gene activated muscle tissue grafts can repair large bone defects in rats. This innovative abbreviated ex vivo gene therapy is appealing because it does not require elaborative and time-consuming extraction and expansion of cells. Hence, in the present study, we evaluated the potential of this expedited tissue engineering approach for regenerating osteochondral defects in rabbits.MethodsAutologous muscle tissue grafts from female White New Zealand rabbits were directly transduced with an adenoviral BMP-2 vector or remained unmodified. Osteochondral defects in the medial condyle of rabbit knees were treated with either BMP-2 activated muscle tissue implants or unmodified muscle tissue or remained empty. After 13 weeks, repair of osteochondral defects was examined by biomechanical indentation testing and by histology/imunohistochemistry applying an extended O'Driscoll scoring system and histomorphometry.ResultsBiomechanical investigations revealed a trend towards slightly improved mechanical properties of the group receiving BMP-2 activated muscle tissue compared to unmodified muscle treatment and empty defect controls. However, a statistically significant difference was noted only between BMP-2 muscle and unmodified muscle treatment. Also, histological evaluation resulted in slightly higher histological scores and improved collagen I/II ratio without statistical significance in the BMP-2 treatment group. Histomorphometry indicated enhanced repair of subchondral bone after treatment with BMP-2 muscle, with a significantly larger bone area compared to untreated defects.ConclusionsGene activated muscle tissue grafts showed potential for osteochondral defect repair. There is room for improvement via the use of appropriate growth factor combinations.Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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