Low‐intensity vibration increases cartilage thickness in obese mice

Abstract

Obesity is associated with an elevated risk of osteoarthritis (OA). We examined here whether high fat diet administered in young mice, compromised the attainment of articular cartilage thickness. Further, we sought to determine if low-intensity vibration (LIV) could protect the retention of articular cartilage in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity. Five-week-old, male, C57BL/6 mice were separated into three groups (n = 10): Regular diet (RD), High fat diet (HF), and HF + LIV (HFv; 90 Hz, 0.2g, 30 min/d, 5 d/w) administered for 6 weeks. Additionally, an extended HF diet study was run for 6 months (LIV at 15 m/d). Articular cartilage and subchondral bone morphology, and sulfated GAG content were quantified using contrast agent enhanced μCT and histology. Gene expression within femoral condyles was quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Contrary to our hypothesis, HF cartilage thickness was not statistically different from RD. However, LIV increased cartilage thickness compared to HF, and the elevated thickness was maintained when diet and LIV were extended into adulthood. RT-PCR analysis showed a reduction of aggrecan expression with high fat diet, while application of LIV reduced the expression of degradative MMP-13. Further, long-term HF diet resulted in subchondral bone thickening, compared to RD, providing early evidence of OA pathology-LIV suppressed the thickening, such that levels were not significantly different from RD. These data suggest that dynamic loading, via LIV, protected the retention of cartilage thickness, potentially resulting in joint surfaces better suited to endure the risks of elevated loading that parallel obesity. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:751-759, 2018.

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Versus Whole Body Vibration on Cartilage and Subchondral Trabecular Bone in Mice With Knee Osteoarthritis

“…Some studies showed that PEMF stimulation inhibited cartilage destruction and preserved cartilage and subchondral trabecular bone by regulating the catabolic factor, MMP13 [Ciombor et al, 2003; Fini et al, 2005; Fini et al, 2008; Zhou et al, 2017]. Due to the fact that musculoskeletal tissues are highly sensitive to mechanical stimulation, previous studies suggested that WBV delayed cartilage degeneration, stimulated the proliferation of chondrocytes, increased bone turnover, regulated the expression of inflammatory factors, reduced the expression of MMPs, and promoted tissue repair [Yamazaki et al, 2002; Junbo et al, 2017; Pamon et al, 2018]. We also found similar results, that PEMF and WBV treatments attenuated the expression of IL‐1β, ADAMTS4, and MMP13 and increased the expression of Aggrecan, and prevented articular cartilage degeneration.…”

“…Some previous studies demonstrated that mechanical stimulation not only increased matrix synthesis and expression of collagen and chondrogenic marker, but also decreased the production of MMPs group in osteoarthritic chondrocytes for normal cartilage [Liphardt et al, 2009; Burr and Gallant, 2012]. Additionally, WBV modulated the expression of inflammatory cytokines, promoted tissue repair, accelerated cartilage formation, and decreased cartilage resorption [Junbo et al, 2017; Pamon et al, 2018]. It has been widely accepted that WBV has been recommended as a safe and efficient tool for increasing muscle strength in KOA.…”

“…However, a previous study found that meniscal tears and focal articular cartilage damage were induced by WBV with 45 Hz, 0.3 g peak acceleration between 4‐ and 8‐week exposures [McCann et al, 2017]. While these data suggest that excessive or insufficient mechanical loading may be deleterious to cartilage, there appears to be a “window” where some degree of loading is beneficial to the tissue [Pamon et al, 2018].…”

Pathway Analysis Hints Towards Beneficial Effects of Long-Term Vibration on Human Chondrocytes

“…Chondrocytes embedded in the ECM of the cartilage are known to be responsive to mechanical forces such as pressure, shear stress or vibrations [29][30][31][32][33][34]. During OA progression, the ECM is actively remodeled by chondrocytes under inflammatory conditions [35].…”

Musculoskeletal mechanobiology: A new era for MechanoMedicine

“…This special issue begins with several outstanding reviews that provide updates on the significance of mechanobiology in musculoskeletal research involving cartilage, tendon, muscle and bone, [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] and that span topics from the role of candidate mechanosensors and chemical mediators, 1,5,9,10 in vitro and in vivo models of tissue injury and repair, 3,4 and supporting technologies. 6,7 The majority of original articles following the review papers are related to the mechanobiology of bone and cartilage, [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] tissues whose physical regulation have traditionally garnered intensive research focus, followed by complementary research papers in areas of growing prominence: Ligaments, intervertebral discs, and stem cells. [24][25][26][27][28] From this Special Issue in Musculoskeletal Mechanobiology, it is clear that it has become technically possible to trace the impact of mechanics from individual molecules to an entire organism.…”