FIG. 5.

MRI images and mechanical strength of bovine meniscus ex vivo repair model. Collagen membranes were seeded with human meniscus avascular cells to create human meniscus avascular cells/ES collagen scaffold implant, as described under section “Materials and Methods”. The scaffolds were inserted into incisions made in a bovine meniscus avascular section and cultured for 3 weeks. MRI images of meniscal specimens in coronal plane to the meniscus with (A) defect without any repair, (B) defect repaired with acellular aligned ES scaffold, and (C) defect repaired with cell-seeded aligned ES scaffold. Imaging of meniscus specimens in the axial plane to the meniscus with (D) defect without any repair, (E) defect repaired with acellular aligned ES scaffold, and (F) defect repaired with cell-seeded aligned ES scaffold. Mechanical strength of integrated meniscus: (G) Images of the cell-seeded collagen scaffold implant during culturing, harvesting, and the tensile testing process; (H) Young's modulus (n = 7) (*p < 0.0001 among experimental groups, Kruskal–Wallis test; ^§p = 0.0006 defects without any repair and repaired with acellular aligned ES scaffold vs. defects repaired with cell-seeded aligned ES scaffold, Mann–Whitney test) and (I) ultimate tensile strength of meniscal repair model comparing defects repaired with cell-seeded aligned ES scaffold to defects without any repair and defects repaired with acellular aligned ES scaffold (n = 7) (^#p = 0.0001 among experimental groups, Kruskal–Wallis test; ^§p = 0.0006 defects without any repair vs. defects repaired with cell-seeded aligned ES scaffold, Mann–Whitney test; ^##p = 0.0012 defects repaired with acellular aligned ES scaffold vs. defects repaired with cell-seeded aligned ES scaffold, Mann–Whitney test). MRI, magnetic resonance imaging. Color images available online at www.liebertpub.com/tea