Influence of the Mechanical Environment on the Regeneration of Osteochondral Defects

Abstract

Articular cartilage is a highly specialised connective tissue of diarthrodial joints which provides a smooth, lubricated surface for joint articulation and plays a crucial role in the transmission of loads. In vivo cartilage is subjected to mechanical stimuli that are essential for cartilage development and the maintenance of a chondrocytic phenotype. Cartilage damage caused by traumatic injuries, ageing, or degradative diseases leads to impaired loading resistance and progressive degeneration of both the articular cartilage and the underlying subchondral bone. Since the tissue has limited self-repairing capacity due its avascular nature, restoration of its mechanical properties is still a major challenge. Tissue engineering techniques have the potential to heal osteochondral defects using a combination of stem cells, growth factors, and biomaterials that could produce a biomechanically functional tissue, representative of native hyaline cartilage. However, current clinical approaches fail to repair full-thickness defects that include the underlying subchondral bone. Moreover, when tested in vivo, current tissue-engineered grafts show limited capacity to regenerate the damaged tissue due to poor integration with host cartilage and the failure to retain structural integrity after insertion, resulting in reduced mechanical function. The aim of this review is to examine the optimal characteristics of osteochondral scaffolds. Additionally, an overview on the latest biomaterials potentially able to replicate the natural mechanical environment of articular cartilage and their role in maintaining mechanical cues to drive chondrogenesis will be detailed, as well as the overall mechanical performance of grafts engineered using different technologies.

The Morphological, Clinical and Radiological Outputs of the Preclinical Study After Treatment of the Osteochondral Lesions in the Porcine Knee Model Using Implantation of Scaffold Based on the of Calcium Phosphate Biocement

“…Scientists have been researching the role of different materials in the treatment of osteochondral lesions for many years. The properties of the materials can greatly influence of the mechanical environment of the healing process in treatment osteochondral defects (Davis et al, 2021). It is possible to study various implants on the experimental animal models under physiological conditions, as they provide better understanding of the response in humans.…”

Instructive cartilage regeneration modalities with advanced therapeutic implantations under abnormal conditions

“…However, overloading conditions in joints, such as excessive sport, obesity, and trauma, may increase pro-inflammatory cytokines, reduce Col II and aggrecan (AGG), and even chondrocyte apoptosis. Therefore, it is essential to establish a proper loading condition to facilitate cartilage regeneration [ 147 ].…”

Methods of Modification of Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Conditions of Their Culturing for Hyaline Cartilage Tissue Engineering

“…Promoting proliferation and transmission of biochemical signals (only when biofunctionalization with adhesion ligands [83]) [94] Biomaterials for tissue engineering should be biodegradable, have a controlled chemical composition and have a porosity to allow optimal cell adhesion, migration, and production of endogenous ECM components [20,[95][96][97]. Another important characteristic of the scaffold is stiffness, that is, the ability to resist mechanical deformation [98,99].…”

“…Another important characteristic of the scaffold is stiffness, that is, the ability to resist mechanical deformation [98,99]. Engler et al were the first to explore the effect of the scaffold stiffness parameter on MSCs and showed that stiff substrates promote the development of a highly organized cytoskeleton with a fusiform morphology, while soft substrates promote the development of a rounded chondrocyte-like morphology and enhanced expression of chondrogenic markers [96].…”