Biomechanical study of the effect of platelet rich plasma on the treatment of medial collateral ligament lesion in rabbits

Purpose: To evaluate the use of platelet-rich plasma in the early stages of healing of traumatic injury of the medial collateral ligament in the knee of rabbits. Methods: Thirty rabbits were subjected to surgical lesion of the medial collateral ligament. Of these, 16 were treated with platelet-rich plasma and 14 with saline (control). After 3 and 6 weeks of treatment, 50% of the animals from each group were sacrificed, and biomechanical tests were performed on the injured ligament to compare the tensile strength between the two groups. Results: Platelet-rich plasma significantly increased the tensile strength of the ligament in the groups treated after3 and 6 weeks. In the group treated with platelet-rich plasma vs. saline, the tensile strength values were 3192.5 +/- 189.7 g/f vs. 2851.1 +/- 193.1 g/f at3 weeks (p = 0.005) and 5915.6 +/- 832.0 g/f vs. 4187.6 +/- 512.9 g/f at 6 weeks (p = 0.0001). Conclusion: The use of platelet-rich plasma at the injury site accelerated ligament healing in an animal model, demonstrated by an increase in the tensile strength of the medial collateral ligament.