A Tribological Comparison of Facet Joint, Sacroiliac Joint, and Knee Cartilage in the Yucatan Minipig

Abstract

Objective Pathology of the facet and sacroiliac (SI) joints contributes to 15% to 45% and 10% to 27% of lower back pain cases, respectively. Although tissue engineering may offer novel treatment options to patients suffering from cartilage degeneration in these joints, the tribological characteristics of the facet and SI joints have not been studied in either the human or relevant large animal models, which hinders the development of joint-specific cartilage implants. Design Cartilage was isolated from the knee, cervical facet, thoracic facet, lumbar facet, and SI joints of 6 skeletally mature Yucatan minipigs ( Sus scrofa). Tribological characteristics were assessed via coefficient of friction testing, interferometry, and immunohistochemistry for lubricin organization. Results Compared with the knee, the coefficient of friction was higher by 43% in the cervical facet, 77% in the thoracic facet, 37% in the lumbar facet, and 28% in the SI joint. Likewise, topographical features of the facet and SI joints varied significantly, ranging from a 114% to 384% increase and a 48% to 107% increase in global and local surface roughness measures, respectively, compared with the knee. Additionally, the amount of lubricin in the SI joint was substantially greater than in the knee. Statistical correlations among the various tribological parameters revealed that there was a significant correlation between local roughness and coefficient of friction, but not global roughness or the presence of lubricin. Conclusion These location-specific tribological characteristics of the articular cartilages of the spine will need to be taken into consideration during the development of physiologically relevant, functional, and durable tissue-engineered replacements for these joints.

Yucatan Minipig Knee Meniscus Regional Biomechanics and Biochemical Structure Support its Suitability as a Large Animal Model for Translational Research

“…The minipig model, specifically the Yucatan breed, is often used in biomedical research ( Khoshnevis et al, 2017 , 2020 ; Poupin et al, 2019 ; Melnick et al, 2020 ) and has been gaining popularity in orthopedic research and musculoskeletal science ( Cone et al, 2017 ; Bansal et al, 2020 ; Kremen et al, 2020 ; Nordberg et al, 2021 ). Yucatan minipigs share physiological similarities with humans.…”

A review of advances in tribology in 2020–2021

“…Lubrication of degraded cartilage with chondroitinase ABC was shown to be restored through re-establishing lamina splendens with a bioinspired mucoadhesive biopolymer chitosan catechol [635]. Furthermore, different tribological characteristics of articular cartilages were found in different joints and on different sites, implying the importance of physiological loading and motion input into the joints [636], in alternated biomechanical environments [637] and in joint injuries [638]. The importance of the understanding the lubrication mechanism was clearly recognized for the future development of tissue engineered cartilage [639] and alternative replacement materials such as hydrogels [640].…”