Biodegradation and restitution of the intercellular matrix in preserved fragments of dense fibrous connective tissue after their grafting into the recipient

Results are presented from a study in which the structural arrangement of the intercellular matrix was examined in preserved connective tissue fragments (allografts) after their implantation into rabbits to repair posttraumatic space-occupying defects in the capsular-ligamentous complex of the knee joint. Stages of biodegradation and restitution undergone by the interstitial substance of connective tissues after the implantation of allografts are identified. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 121, N ^o 1, pp. 20–23, January, 1996 Presented by G. N. Kryzhanovskii, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences