Early tendon-bone healing in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

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The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that enhanced angiogenesis and osteogenesis by locally applied simvastatin promotes tendon-bone healing after ACL reconstruction. Rabbits received ACL reconstruction with hamstring tendon graft and were implanted with either simvastatin-conjugated gelatin hydrogel or gelatin hydrogel alone in their bone tunnels. Histological and radiological analysis at week 2 demonstrated early tendon-bone healing with enhanced angiogenesis and osteogenesis in the simvastatin-treated group. Biomechanical testing at week 2 also demonstrated a significant increase in ultimate failure load in the simvastatin-treated group. This study suggested that local administration of low-dose simvastatin-conjugated gelatin hydrogel promotes the tendon-bone healing via its effect on both angiogenesis and osteogenesis at an early phase in a rabbit model, but does not affect biomechanical property in long-term after ACL reconstruction.