Table 1.
In vitro studies of PRF chondrogenic potential.
| Hemocomponent/Experimental Groups | PRF Preparation Protocol | Characterization Parameters | Major Findings | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - Human PRF exudates incorporated into Biodegradable Fibrin (FB) scaffolds Controls: - Bovine Biodegradable Fibrin scaffolds - Agarose scaffolds |
Preparation according to Choukroun et al., 2001 [3]: - Blood collection without anticoagulant - Centrifugation (400 X g, 10 min) - Formation of a fibrin clot rich with platelets (PRF) in the middle of the tube, between the red blood cells and the acellular plasma |
- Quantification of PDGF-BB, TGF-β1, IGF-1 and BMP-2 into PRF exudates - 2D and 3D cultures of human primary chondrocytes and a human chondrosarcoma cell line (SW-1353) - Proliferation studies - mRNA expression of type-II collagen and GAGs - Synthesis of GAGs and proteoglycans |
When chondrocytes were cultured on FB scaffolds added with PRF exudates: - cell growth rate was significantly increased - mRNA expression of type-II collagen and GAGs was up-regulated - Synthesis of GAGs and proteoglycans was enhanced |
Chien et al., 2012 [65] |
| - Rabbit i-PRF Control: - Rabbit PRP |
- Blood collection without anticoagulant - Centrifugation (60 X g, 3 min) with Choukroun PRF Duo Centrifuge (Process for PRF, Nice, France) - Collection of the upper plasma layer designated as i-PRF |
- i-PRF- and PRP-conditioned cultures of rabbit chondrocytes in normal conditions or in the presence of IL-1β - mRNA expression of chondrogenesis-related genes (SOX9, COL2A1 and ACAN) and osteoarthritis-related markers (ADAMTS4, PTGS2 and MMP13) |
i-PRF was found to be superior to PRP in: - up-regulating chondrogenesis-related genes in normal conditions - counteracting IL-1β inflammatory effects in osteoarthritis-like environment |
Abd El Raouf et al., 2017 [61] |
| - Rabbit PRF | Preparation according to Choukroun et al., 2001 [3] | - Quantification of PDGF, IGF-1 and TGF-β1 release - Mechanical tests - Ultrastructural morphology by SEM - In vitro and ex vivo evaluations of PRF chemotactic effect on rabbit chondrocytes - Proliferation of chondrocyte cultures - mRNA expression of cartilage markers (type-I and type-II collagen and Aggrecan) - GAG deposition |
- PRF improved the chemotaxis, proliferation, and viability of the cultured chondrocytes - Chondrogenic markers were up-regulated in cell populations cultured with PRF-conditioned media - PRF increased the formation and deposition of the cartilaginous matrix produced by cultured chondrocytes |
Wong et al., 2017 [66] |
| - Rabbit PRF | Preparation according to Choukroun et al., 2001 [3] | - PRF chemotactic effect on rabbit meniscocytes (scratch migration and transwell migration assays) - Cell proliferation - Histological evaluation of type-I and type-II collagen, Aggrecan and GAG deposition |
- PRF stimulated cellular migration and proliferation of meniscocytes - Extracellular matrix synthesis by cultured meniscocytes was enhanced by treatment with PRF releseates |
Wong et al., 2017 [67] |
| - Human FRP membrane | - Blood collection without anticoagulant but with a clot activator - Centrifugation (770× g, 12 min) - Pression of the fibrin clot with stainless steel plate (Box PRF BmdCon®) for exudate extraction - FRP membrane formation |
- Proliferation of human ASCs - Differentiation of ASC micromass cultures towards the chondrogenic lineage |
- FRP membrane eluates stimulated the proliferation of ASCs - Treatment with eluates induced mucopolysaccharide and aggrecan synthesis by differentiated ASCs |
Souza et al., 2017 [68] |
ASCs, Adipose-derived Stem Cells; BMP-2, Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2; FRP membrane, fibrin-rich plasma membrane; GAGs, Glycosaminoglycans; i-PRF, injectable PRF; IGF-1, Insulin-like Growth Factor; IL-1β, Interleukin-1β; PDGF-BB, Platelet-derived Growth Factor-BB; PRF, Platelet-rich Fibrin; PRP, Platelet-rich Plasma; SEM, Scanning Electron Microscopy; TGF-β1, Transforming Growth Factor- β1.