Preclinical Use of FGF-18 Augmentation for Improving Cartilage Healing Following Surgical Repair: A Systematic Review.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of fibroblast growth factor-18 (FGF-18) augmentation for improving articular cartilage healing following surgical repair in preclinical ( in vivo ) animal models.
Design: A systematic review was performed evaluating the efficacy of FGF-18 augmentation with cartilage surgery compared with cartilage surgery without FGF-18 augmentation in living animal models. Eligible intervention groups were FGF-18 treatment in conjunction with orthopedic procedures, including microfracture, osteochondral auto/allograft transplantation, and cellular-based repair. Outcome variables were: International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) score, modified O'Driscoll histology score, tissue infill score, qualitative histology, and adverse events. Descriptive statistics were recorded and summarized for each included study.
Results: In total, 493 studies were identified and 4 studies were included in the final analysis. All studies were randomized controlled trials evaluating in vivo use of recombinant human FGF-18 (rhFGF-18). Animal models included ovine ( n = 3) and equine ( n = 1), with rhFGF-18 use following microfracture ( n = 3) or osteochondral defect repair ( n = 1). The rhFGF-18 was delivered via intra-articular injection ( n = 2), collagen membrane scaffold ( n = 1), or both ( n = 1). All studies reported significant, positive improvements in cartilage defect repair with rhFGF-18 compared with controls based on ICRS score ( n = 4), modified O'Driscoll score ( n = 4), tissue infill ( n = 3), and expression of collagen type II ( n = 4) ( P < 0.05). No adverse events were reported with the intra-articular administration of this growth factor, indicating short-term safety and efficacy of rhFGF-18 in vivo .
Conclusion: This systematic review provides evidence that rhFGF-18 significantly improves cartilage healing at 6 months postoperatively following microfracture or osteochondral defect repair in preclinical randomized controlled trials.