Diffusion of glucose in bovine AF is dependent on strain and the direction of diffusion.

The annulus fibrosus (AF) of the intervertebral disc (IVD) exhibits a fiber-organized structure which is responsible for anisotropic and inhomogeneous mechanical and transport properties. Due to its particular morphology, nutrient transport within AF is regulated by complex transport kinetics. This work investigates the diffusive transport of a small solute in the posterior and anterior regions of AF since diffusion is the major transport mechanism for low molecular weight nutrients (e.g., oxygen and glucose) in IVD. Diffusion coefficient (D) of fluorescein (332 Da) in bovine coccygeal AF was measured in the three major (axial, circumferential, and radial) directions of the IVD by means of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) technique. It was found that the diffusion coefficient was anisotropic and inhomogeneous. In both anterior and posterior regions, the diffusion coefficient in the radial direction was found to be the lowest. Circumferential and axial diffusion coefficients were not significantly different in both posterior and anterior regions and their values were about 130% and 150% the value of the radial diffusion coefficient, respectively. The values of diffusion coefficients in the anterior region were in general higher than those of corresponding diffusion coefficients in the posterior region. This study represents the first quantitative analysis of anisotropic diffusion transport in AF by means of FRAP technique and provides additional knowledge on understanding the pathways of nutritional supply into IVD.

In this study, a new method for determination of an anisotropic diffusion tensor by a single fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) experiment was developed. The method was based on two independent analyses of video-FRAP images: the fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and the Karhunen-Loève Transform (KLT).Computer simulated FRAP tests were used to evaluate the sensitivity of the method to experimental parameters, such as the initial size of the bleached spot, the choice of the frequencies used in the Fourier analysis, the orientation of the diffusion tensor, and experimental noise.The new method was also experimentally validated by determining the anisotropic diffusion tensor of fluorescein (332 Da) in bovine annulus fibrosus. The results obtained were in agreement with those reported in a previous study. Finally, the method was used to characterize fluorescein diffusion in bovine meniscus. Our findings indicate that fluorescein diffusion in bovine meniscus is anisotropic.This study provides a new tool for the determination of anisotropic diffusion tensor that could be used to investigate the correlation between the structure of biological tissues and their transport properties.

Designing drug delivery devices or drug delivery protocols poses problems because they are considered to operate in a mechanically static environment. It should consider, however, transport processes in these cases occur in a mechanically dynamic environment since mechanical stimuli may strongly influence transport within soft hydrated materials. A general framework combines fluid and macromolecular transport with the mechanics of hydrated polymer gels or tissue. As an example, the model equations have been created for a spherical geometry to describe the distribution of macromolecules within the gel resulting from a constant pressure or a constant flow infusion source. The model describes the overall average profiles of the interstitial fluid pressure, velocity and solid matrix dilatation, displacement, and stress, as well as macromolecular distribution. The basic theory provides new insight into understanding the transport of macromolecules within mechanically stimulated polymeric gets and tissues and, therefore, represents a valuable tool for designing and engineering novel drug delivery systems, as well as optimization of drug delivery protocols to be used in detection and treatments

Tobacco smoking is associated with numerous pathological conditions. Compelling experimental evidence associates smoking to the degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD). In particular, it has been shown that nicotine down-regulates both the proliferation rate and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) biosynthesis of disc cells. Moreover, tobacco smoking causes the constriction of the vascular network surrounding the IVD, thus reducing the exchange of nutrients and anabolic agents from the blood vessels to the disc. It has been hypothesized that both nicotine presence in the IVD and the reduced solute exchange are responsible for the degeneration of the disc due to tobacco smoking, but their effects on tissue homeostasis have never been quantified. In this study, a previously presented computational model describing the homeostasis of the IVD was deployed to investigate the effects of impaired solute supply and nicotine-mediated down-regulation of cell proliferation and biosynthetic activity on the health of the disc. We found that the nicotine-mediated down-regulation of cell anabolism mostly affected the GAG concentration at the cartilage endplate, reducing it up to 65% of the value attained in normal physiological conditions. In contrast, the reduction of solutes exchange between blood vessels and disc tissue mostly affected the nucleus pulposus, whose cell density and GAG levels were reduced up to 50% of their normal physiological levels. The effectiveness of quitting smoking on the regeneration of a degenerated IVD was also investigated, and showed to have limited benefit on the health of the disc. A cell-based therapy in conjunction with smoke cessation provided significant improvements in disc health, suggesting that, besides quitting smoking, additional treatments should be implemented in the attempt to recover the health of an IVD degenerated by tobacco smoking.