AUTHOR=Zhou Liangbin , Ho Ki-Wai Kevin , Zheng Lizhen , Xu Jiankun , Chen Ziyi , Ye Xiangdong , Zou Li , Li Ye , Chang Liang , Shao Hongwei , Li Xisheng , Long Jing , Nie Yangyi , Stoddart Martin J. , Lai Yuxiao , Qin Ling TITLE=A rabbit osteochondral defect (OCD) model for evaluation of tissue engineered implants on their biosafety and efficacy in osteochondral repair JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology VOLUME=12 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2024.1352023 DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2024.1352023 ISSN=2296-4185 ABSTRACT=

Osteochondral defect (OCD) is a common but challenging condition in orthopaedics that imposes huge socioeconomic burdens in our aging society. It is imperative to accelerate the R&D of regenerative scaffolds using osteochondral tissue engineering concepts. Yet, all innovative implant-based treatments require animal testing models to verify their feasibility, biosafety, and efficacy before proceeding to human trials. Rabbit models offer a more clinically relevant platform for studying OCD repair than smaller rodents, while being more cost-effective than large animal models. The core-decompression drilling technique to produce full-thickness distal medial femoral condyle defects in rabbits can mimic one of the trauma-relevant OCD models. This model is commonly used to evaluate the implant’s biosafety and efficacy of osteochondral dual-lineage regeneration. In this article, we initially indicate the methodology and describe a minimally-invasive surgical protocol in a step-wise manner to generate a standard and reproducible rabbit OCD for scaffold implantation. Besides, we provide a detailed procedure for sample collection, processing, and evaluation by a series of subsequent standardized biochemical, radiological, biomechanical, and histological assessments. In conclusion, the well-established, easy-handling, reproducible, and reliable rabbit OCD model will play a pivotal role in translational research of osteochondral tissue engineering.