Long Term Effect of P188 on Meniscus Preservation Following Blunt Trauma

Acute knee joint injury has been associated with the development and progression of secondary osteoarthritis (OA). Previous work implicates that acute damage to tissue matrix and cells of the meniscus and articular cartilage may play important roles in early-stage OA [1]. Additionally, it has been shown that articular cartilage matrix repair hinges on chondrocyte preservation [2]. Therefore, inhibition of cell death may halt tissue degeneration. Recently, the FDA-approved surfactant Poloxamer 188 (P-188) has been shown to decrease acute cell death by repair of its plasma membrane, as well as mediate p38 signaling and subsequent inflammatory and apoptotic signaling leading to a reduction in degeneration of impacted cartilage [3, 4]. Therefore, it was hypothesized that matrix glycosaminoglycans of the meniscus will be preserved in the long-term following traumatic impaction and subsequent treatment with P-188.