Cartilage Tissue Remodeling in Response to Mechanical Forces

Abstract

Recent studies suggest that there are multiple regulatory pathways by which chondrocytes in articular cartilage sense and respond to mechanical stimuli, including upstream signaling pathways and mechanisms that may lead to direct changes at the level of transcription, translation, post-translational modifications, and cell-mediated extracellular assembly and degradation of the tissue matrix. This review focuses on the effects of mechanical loading on cartilage and the resulting chondrocyte-mediated biosynthesis, remodeling, degradation, and repair of this tissue. The effects of compression and tissue shear deformation are compared, and approaches to the study of mechanical regulation of gene expression are described. Of particular interest regarding dense connective tissues, recent experiments have shown that mechanotransduction is critically important in vivo in the cell-mediated feedback between physical stimuli, the molecular structure of newly synthesized matrix molecules, and the resulting macroscopic biomechanical properties of the tissue.

Distinct horizontal patterns in the spatial organization of superficial zone chondrocytes of human joints

“…Biomechanical forces and their mechanotransduction are an important modulator in the development (Heegaard et al, 1999;Wong and Carter, 2003), differentiation (Brama et al, 2000;Little and Ghosh, 1997), and maintenance of articular cartilage (Grodzinsky et al, 2000;Lane Smith et al, 2000;Smith et al, 1995). During skeletal development, the morphogenesis of articular cartilage is regulated by mechanical forces, resulting in the formation of the four cartilage zones (Heegaard et al, 1999;Wong and Carter, 2003).…”

An “in vitro” experimental model to predict the mechanical behavior of macroporous scaffolds implanted in articular cartilage

“…Therefore it is the biphasic structure of cartilage that determines its load-bearing capacity. Pressure makes fluid flow through the permeable solid phase [19][20][21][22].…”

Chemically specific imaging and in-situ chemical analysis of articular cartilage with stimulated Raman scattering

“…The cells, chondrocytes, are responsible for the maintenance of the extracellular matrix, a process which is largely regulated by the communication of physical signals through the surrounding matrix [3]. The pericellular matrix is a thin zone, different in composition to the interterritorial matrix, which surrounds each cell [4] and is believed to be an important element in this comunication.…”