Objective: To observe the effect of preserving tibial residual fibers on the expressions of ligament remodeling related genes in rabbit anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction model.
Methods: Sixty healthy adult New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into 4 groups: normal control group (group A, n = 6), sham-operation group (group B, n = 18), non tibial remnant preserved group (group C, n = 18), and tibial remnant preserved group (group D, n = 18). At 2, 6, and 12 weeks after operation, the ligament tissue was harvested to detect the mRNA expressions of collagen type 1A1 (COL1A1), collagen type 3A1 (COL3A1), transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43), and neurotrophin 3 (NT-3) by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR.
Results: At each time point, there was no significant difference in the mRNA expressions of COL1A1, COL3A1, VEGF, and NT-3 between group A and group B (P > 0.05). In group D, the mRNA expressions of COL1A1, COL3A1, TGF-β1, and GAP-43 significantly increased when compared with those of group C at 6 weeks after operation (P < 0.05); an increased level of VEGF mRNA was also detected in the group D at 12 weeks after operation (P < 0.05); and an increased level of NT-3 mRNA was also observed in group D at 2 and 12 weeks after operation (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: There is a time-dependent manner of angiogenesis-promoting, repair-related, and nerve-related gene expressions after ACL reconstruction with preserving tibial residual fibers during the process of ligamentization. Furthermore, the remnant preservation in ACL reconstruction can promote the expressions of related genes in some time points.