Laboratory Animals > Volume 42, Number 1 > Pp. 71-82

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The minipig model for experimental chondral and osteochondral defect repair in tissue engineering: retrospective analysis of 180 defects

T Gotterbarm ^*, S J Breusch , U Schneider  and M Jung  

^* Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Orthopaedics, University of Edinburgh, New Royal Infirmary, Little France, Edinburgh EH16 4SU, UK; Arthro Nova Clinic, Rottach-Egern, Germany; Orthopaedic University Hospital Heidelberg, Schlierbacher Landstr. 200a, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany

Correspondence: M Jung. Email: martin.jung{at}ok.uni-heidelberg.de

Articular cartilage repair is still a challenge in orthopaedic surgery. Although many treatment options have been developed in the last decade, true regeneration of hyaline articular cartilage is yet to be accomplished. In vitro experiments are useful for evaluating cell–matrix interactions under controlled parameters. When introducing new treatment options into clinical routine, adequate animal models are capable of closing the gap between in vitro experiments and the clinical use in human beings. We developed an animal model in the Göttingen minipig (GMP) to evaluate the healing of osteochondral or full-thickness cartilage defects. The defects were located in the middle third of the medial portion of the patello-femoral joint at both distal femurs. Chondral defects were 6.3 mm, osteochondral defects either 5.4 or 6.3 mm in diameter and 8 or 10 mm deep. In both defects the endogenous repair response showed incomplete repair tissue formation up to 12 months postoperatively. Based on its limited capability for endogenous repair of chondral and osteochondral defects, the GMP is a useful model for critical assessment of new treatment strategies in articular cartilage tissue engineering.

Key Words: Animal model • cartilage repair • minipig • histological evaluation

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