5 0 prolene suture

All protocols and procedures were reviewed and approved by the University of Cincinnati’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. The surgical procedure has been previously described.^{22 (link)} Briefly, animals were anesthetized through inhalation of 3% isoflurane and the hindlimbs were prepared using 70% alcohol and betadine washes. The PT was exposed and medial and lateral longitudinal incisions were created on either side of the PT. Jeweler’s forceps were slipped beneath the tendon to isolate it from surrounding tissues and tensioned. An incision was made with a scalpel to create the lateral edge of the tendon defect and a modified Jeweler’s forceps was then slipped through this incision and pushed up through the tendon to create the medial edge. The central-third of the PT was then removed with a scalpel at both the patella and tibial insertions. A modified jigsaw blade was used to disrupt the tibial insertion. In the contralateral limb, a sham procedure was completed in which the jeweler’s forceps were slipped under the tendon; however, no central defect was created. Incisions were closed using 5–0 prolene suture (Ethicon, Somerville, NJ) and animals were allowed unrestricted cage activity. Mice were euthanized by carbon dioxide asphyxiation and cervical dislocation.

Cylindrical explants (diameter: 12mm, height: 6mm) were cut from bovine menisci using a biopsy punch. A horizontal tear (8mm in length) was made with a blade in the center of the explant. The 6-mm diameter DMS was inserted into the defect. During the insertion, the fiber orientation of the DMS was kept identical to that of the middle part of the meniscus. The meniscus defect area in the explants without inserted DMS was sutured with a 5-0 Prolene suture (Ethicon, Blue Ash, Ohio). The explants were cultured for 2 and 4 weeks with media change every 3 days.