Effects of Platelet Rich Plasma Injections on Biomarkers After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears

Overview

A potential long-term consequence of anterior cruciate ligament injuries is the development of post-traumatic osteoarthritis in the years following injury. There are no curative treatments for osteoarthritis, increasing the importance of minimizing the occurrence of post-traumatic osteoarthritis following anterior cruciate ligament injuries. Current literature has begun to indicate that biochemical changes in the knee joint cartilage, such as chondrocyte death, following injury can contribute to the development of post-traumatic osteoarthritis. The main objective of this study is to determine if an early intervention of joint aspiration and platelet rich plasma injection will positively affect the biomarkers representative of chondral degeneration in patients with anterior cruciate ligament injuries. We hypothesize that the intervention will reduce the volume of inflammatory and chondrodegenerative biomarkers following anterior cruciate ligament injury.

A non-surgical treatment option for the management of osteoarthritis include injectables such as corticosteroids and platelet rich plasma. These injectables work by positively affecting cartilage cells, also known as chondrocytes, and the cells of the joint lining tissue, also known as synoviocytes. Platelet rich plasma is an autologous derived blood product, i.e. a joint injectable made from the patient's own blood at the time and location of injection with simple blood centrifugation. Studies in the bench-top laboratory setting have provided in-vitro evidence that platelet rich plasma decreases synoviocyte production of metallometal proteases, an inflammatory protein with negative effects on cartilage and decreases the effects of inflammatory proteins.