Meniscus surface texture is associated with degenerative changes in biological and biomechanical properties

Abstract

Meniscal degeneration is defined by semi-quantitative assessment of multiple histological findings and has been implicated in biomechanical dysfunction, yet little is known about its relationship with biological properties. This paper aimed to quantitatively evaluate degenerative findings in human meniscus to examine their relationship with gene expression and biomechanical properties, and to extract histological findings that reflect biological properties like gene expression and cytokine secretion. This study included lateral menisci of 29 patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty. The menisci were divided into six samples. For each sample, Pauli's histological evaluation and corresponding quantitative assessment (surface roughness, DNA content, collagen orientation, and GAG content) were performed, with surface roughness showing the highest correlation with the histological evaluation in a single correlation analysis (r = 0.66, p < 0.0001) and multivariate analysis (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, surface roughness was associated with gene expression related to meniscal degeneration and with tangent modulus which decreases with increasing degeneration (r = − 0.49, p = 0.0002). When meniscal tissue was classified by surface integrity, inflammatory cytokine secretion tended to be higher in severe degenerated menisci. These results suggest that the evaluation of meniscal surface texture could predict the degree of degeneration and inflammatory cytokine secretion.

Mechanics of knee meniscus results from precise balance between material microstructure and synovial fluid viscosity

“…Meniscus degeneration, however, is a multi-faceted process that encompasses not just geometric alterations to the microstructure, but also changes in the biochemical composition, material properties, and structural organisation of the meniscus. Understanding meniscus degeneration will therefore ultimately require a holistic approach that goes beyond morphological alterations [29, 30]. As a first step, we here focus on the effect of microstructure geometry on fluid mechanics in the meniscus, which our computational model enables us to study in isolation.…”

The Effects of an Osteoarthritic Joint Environment on ACL Damage and Degeneration: A Yucatan Miniature Pig Model

“…Although the impact of inflammation has been extensively documented to contribute to the progressive decay of articular cartilage, there is a limited amount of literature regarding the effects of inflammation on the neighboring soft tissue, such as the ACL. Previously, Otani et al found that elderly patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty for long-term osteoarthritis had degenerative changes in their meniscus that were associated with inflammatory cytokine (IL-6 and IL-8) levels [ 7 ]. It is important to understand these changes because damage to the soft tissue architecture secondary to posttraumatic inflammation may subtly impair movement mechanics, place the patient at greater risk of additional ligamentous injury, and portend further PTOA progression [ 8 , 9 ].…”