The effects of low-dose radiation on articular cartilage: a review

Abstract

Articular cartilage is a specialized connective tissue, predominately composed of water, collagen, and proteoglycans, that provides a smooth, lubricated surface for articulation in joints. It has long been considered radioinsensitive and therefore unaffected by exposure to radiation in medical settings. Due to the increased amount of yearly radiation exposure through radiotherapy and ionizing radiation diagnostic procedures, there has been a renewed interest in how radioinsensitive articular cartilage actually is. Despite this renewed interest, the majority of these studies do not focus on articular cartilage as their primary goal, but rather, have observed the effects of total body irradiation. Since many of these studies do not report the type of irradiation used, the rate of exposure, or use consistent models, there are inconsistencies in these studies, which make comparing and translating the results difficult. Previous literature reviews have found less than 60 studies discussing the effects of radiation on articular cartilage and its components both in vitro and in vivo. However, despite the inconsistencies, these reviews and studies have drawn the same overall conclusion that this research needs to be continued and broadened in order to make a consistent conclusion on the radioinsensitivity of articular cartilage. Therefore, the goal of this review is to categorize and summarize current findings in literature discussing the effects of radiation on articular cartilage.

Vaccinia Virus Protein B18R: Influence on mRNA Immunogenicity and Translation upon Non-Viral Delivery in Different Ocular Cell Types

“…One of these inhibitors is B18R which can be defined as a non-species-specific decoy receptor present in its soluble form in the cell medium or on the cell surface. Upon binding, type 1 IFNs are neutralized and both autocrine and paracrine transmembrane signaling is prevented [ 28 , 29 , 30 ]. A simplified schematic overview of intracellular pathways activated upon TLR-mRNA binding and working mechanism of B18R is presented in Figure 8 .…”

“…Due to the difference with previously published results, we believe the reported increase in viability might be cell type-dependent. Furthermore, a more recent study showed that the increase in HFF cell viability due to B18R was only visible after multiple mRNA transfections [ 30 ]. This could also explain why we do not see a considerable increase in cell survival after one mRNA transfection.…”

Advances in Growth Factor Delivery for Bone Tissue Engineering

“…Cellulose occurs naturally and is an accessible polymer after it is refined from lignocellulose or synthesized from bacteria [ 92 ]. Hydrogels with specific structures and diverse functionalities that have biomedical applications can be prepared by manipulating the functional groups in the structure of cellulose and its derivatives (methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose) [ 93 ]. Nonetheless, cellulose hydrogels show restricted mechanical attributes that hold back their utilization in hard tissue applications.…”

“…Nonetheless, cellulose hydrogels show restricted mechanical attributes that hold back their utilization in hard tissue applications. To surpass this limitation of cellulose-based scaffolds and to build on the functional properties for hard tissue application, mineralization of cellulose hydrogels with HAp and other materials has been actively investigated in recent years [ 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 ]. Bacterial cellulose was successfully combined with HAp to deliver BMP-2 [ 94 ].…”

“…( C ) The fabrication process for 3D-printed scaffolds from TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibril/sodium alginate hydrogels is shown. ( D ) Scaffolds printed in different forms and designs from optimal TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibril/sodium alginate hydrogel formulation are shown [ 92 , 93 , 95 ].…”