Functional testing on engineered cartilage to identify the role played by shearing

• Published in: Medical engineering & physics Vol. 51; pp. 17 - 23
• Main Authors: Wang, Ling, Shen, Hao, Nie, Jichang, Li, Dichen, Fan, Hongbin, Jin, Zhongmin, Liu, Chaozong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2018
• Subjects: Animals; Biomechanical Phenomena; Cartilage, Articular - cytology; Cell Proliferation; Chondrocytes - cytology; Chondrocytes - metabolism; Collagen - metabolism; Finite Element Analysis; Glycosaminoglycans - metabolism; Joint movements; Knee Joint - cytology; Materials Testing; Mechanical Phenomena; Mechanical stimuli; Rabbits; Shear Strength; Shearing; Stress, Mechanical; Tissue engineered cartilage; Tissue Engineering; Joint movements; Mechanical stimuli; Tissue engineered cartilage; Shearing
• ISSN: 1350-4533; 1873-4030
• DOI: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2017.10.011

•A bespoke cartilage simulator provides combined loading and motion mimicking that of the knee joint.•Dynamic culture of engineered cartilageous tissue was carried out in aseptic environment.•Combined dynamic culture could stimulate cell proliferation and cell phenotype.•Shear induced from internal/external rotation help cartilage tissue regenesis. Compressive loading is crucial for tissue regeneration in cartilage; however, the role played by shearing induced from translational or rotational motion of the knee joint has yet to be identified. This study aims at investigating the effects of in vivo like dynamic load–compression integrated with shearing on tissue regeneration, particularly to identify the role played by shearing induced from rotational motion. Tissue samples fabricated from a calcium alginate hydrogel embedded with chondrocytes were subjected to a dynamic tissue culture. Three culturing regimes were included: a static culture control (CON), compression combined with shearing induced from translational motion (CS), and compression combined with shearing induced from both translational and rotational motion (CSR). The results indicate that the CS group has a significantly larger chondrocyte proliferation rate (p < .01), and that the CSR group has no advantages over the CS group. However, the CSR group was found to have a marked influence on the matrix synthesis compared to that of the CS group (p < .01). It can be concluded that shearing from individual joint motions offers a different contribution to the chondrocyte proliferation, matrix synthesis, and phenotype maintenance, and better insight into these individual roles will be necessary for determining the efficacy of in vivo/vitro cartilageous tissue functionalization.