Animal surgery and post-surgery care
STERILE
All rabbits fasted for 12 h before surgery. In sterile settings, a knee arthrotomy was performed under general anesthesia (RDW Life Science Co., Ltd., isoflurane, R510-22-10). Anesthesia was supplied with a small oxygen mask through a veterinary isoflurane tank (RDW Life Science Co., Ltd., R580). The anesthesia was induced at 4-5% with full airflow and maintained at 3-3.5%. The surgical area was shaved and rinsed with an antiseptic fluid. A sterile skin biopsy punch machine (Integra Life Sciences Production Corporation, 33-31 A) was used to create a 1.5 mm full-thickness, cylindrical, vertical defect at the anteromedial part of the right leg medial meniscus. The operated knee was bandaged with a loose non-elastic bandage and left mobile in their cages for 24 h after surgery. Antibiotics and antiviral medicine were given immediately after surgery and continued for three consecutive days post-surgery (benzylpenicillin Sodium, North China Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd.; Aciclovir, Hubei Wushi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.). The antibiotics and antivirals were dissolved in normal saline; the dosages were as follows: benzylpenicillin Sodium 200,000 units/day, Aciclovir 2 ml/day (one vial dissolved in 5 ml normal saline).