Determing the efficacy of Poloxamer 188 (P188) in meniscal damage prevention
Date
2016
Authors
Remley, Katherine, author
Donahue, Tammy, advisor
James, Sue, committee member
Easley, Jeremiah, committee member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
Meniscal injuries compose 15% of all knee injuries, most often sports-related. Due to the meniscus's avascular nature, healing is difficult and injury often results in a partial meniscectomy. Research has shown meniscectomies drastically decrease contact area between the femur and tibia and increase strains experienced by the meniscus. This additional strain predisposes the knee to developing post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Poloxamer 188 (P188) is a non-ionic, amphillic surfactant that may have the ability to prevent cell death through selective insertion into the cell membrane. This in turn may prevent damaged cell signaling and reduce overall tissue degradation. While P188 has been studied and shown promise in mitigating cell death in cartilage, the effects of P188 on the meniscus are unknown. To investigate the effects of P188 on the meniscus, the goals of this project were to: 1) create a user friendly graphical user interface for a custom bioreactor capable of displacement control for precise loading of meniscal explants to physiological and supraphysiological strains; 2) determine the efficacy of P188 in mitigating meniscal tissue damage through cell viability, mechanical data and histological analysis.