Development of a Tissue Engineered Scaffold for Meniscus Replacement

It is well accepted that the loss of meniscal function due to surgical removal is a significant factor in the onset of degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee. Few viable alternatives exist for the replacement of significantly damaged tissue. In this study, two potential designs for meniscus scaffolds were compared with a focus on the mechanical protection they provide the articular surfaces and their overall biological incorporation into synovial tissue. Three scaffold designs (no fiber reinforcement, 500 fiber scaffold, and 1,000 fiber scaffold) were mechanically loaded in compression at a load of either 100 or 250N. Pressure sensitive film was employed to determine the pressure distribution profile on the tibial plateau after loading. Portions of scaffolds were also implanted into the synovium of the rabbit knee in a nonfunctional capacity for either 4 or 8 weeks. It was found that the presence of fiber reinforcement in the scaffold increased the contact area on the tibial plateau and decreased the high peak loads for the 100 N loading condition. No differences in biological incorporation were found between the two fiber reinforced scaffolds. Both scaffolds were infiltrated by cells by 4 weeks and tissue deposition was observed. Based on these results, the fiber reinforced meniscus scaffold design is a feasible design for the replacement of significantly damaged meniscal tissue. Further evaluation and optimization are currently underway.