Conclusions
This study characterized the novel use of collagen scaffolds for intra-articular drug delivery to treat arthrofibrosis. Scaffolds exhibit celecoxib release through an initial burst release followed by sustained release of antifibrotic doses over 7 days. Thus, collagen scaffolds are promising for clinician-directed treatment of arthrofibrosis.
Methods
Celecoxib was eluted from clinically approved biodegradable collagen membranes over 7 days as measured by UV spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Eluted concentrations of celecoxib were examined for toxicity (live/dead staining) and profibrotic gene expression (real-time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction) in rabbit knee capsular fibroblasts in vitro.
Results
Sustained concentrations of celecoxib eluted from the membrane over 7 days from both a wet and dry scaffold, with a burst release (30-45%) of celecoxib in the first 2 h. Rabbit cells treated with eluted concentrations experienced a toxic response to the burst release doses, and inhibitory effects on profibrotic genes were seen in response to the sustained doses eluted from the scaffold. Conclusions: This study characterized the novel use of collagen scaffolds for intra-articular drug delivery to treat arthrofibrosis. Scaffolds exhibit celecoxib release through an initial burst release followed by sustained release of antifibrotic doses over 7 days. Thus, collagen scaffolds are promising for clinician-directed treatment of arthrofibrosis.