scholarly journals Wear Behavior Characterization of Hydrogels Constructs for Cartilage Tissue Replacement

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 428
Author(s):  
Saverio Affatato ◽  
Diego Trucco ◽  
Paola Taddei ◽  
Lorenzo Vannozzi ◽  
Leonardo Ricotti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Articular Cartilage ◽  
Raman Spectra ◽  
Wear Behavior ◽  
Calf Serum ◽  
Cartilage Tissue ◽  
Aqueous Environment ◽  
Human Articular Cartilage ◽  
Bovine Calf Serum ◽  
Glycol Diacrylate ◽  
Cartilage Layer

This paper aims to characterize the wear behavior of hydrogel constructs designed for human articular cartilage replacement. To this purpose, poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) 10% w/v and gellan gum (GG) 1.5% w/v were used to reproduce the superior (SUP) cartilage layer and PEGDA 15% w/v and GG 1.5% w/v were used to reproduce the deep (DEEP) cartilage layer, with or without graphene oxide (GO). These materials (SUP and DEEP) were analyzed alone and in combination to mimic the zonal architecture of human articular cartilage. The developed constructs were tested using a four-station displacement control knee joint simulator under bovine calf serum. Roughness and micro-computer tomography (µ-CT) measurements evidenced that the hydrogels with 10% w/v of PEGDA showed a worse behavior both in terms of roughness increase and loss of uniformly distributed density than 15% w/v of PEGDA. The simultaneous presence of GO and 15% w/v PEGDA contributed to keeping the hydrogel construct’s characteristics. The Raman spectra of the control samples showed the presence of unreacted C=C bonds in all the hydrogels. The degree of crosslinking increased along the series SUP < DEEP + SUP < DEEP without GO. The Raman spectra of the tested hydrogels showed the loss of diacrylate groups in all the samples, due to the washout of unreacted PEGDA in bovine calf serum aqueous environment. The loss decreased along the series SUP > DEEP + SUP > DEEP, further confirming that the degree of photo-crosslinking of the starting materials plays a key role in determining their wear behavior. μ-CT and Raman spectroscopy proved to be suitable techniques to characterize the structure and composition of hydrogels.

scholarly journals Assessment of Native Human Articular Cartilage: A Biomechanical Protocol

Cartilage ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 194760352097324
Author(s):  
Wassif Kabir ◽  
Claudia Di Bella ◽  
Peter F.M. Choong ◽  
Cathal D. O’Connell
Keyword(s):  
Articular Cartilage ◽  
Poisson Ratio ◽  
Cartilage Tissue Engineering ◽  
Biomechanical Properties ◽  
Cartilage Tissue ◽  
Loading Frequency ◽  
Human Articular Cartilage ◽  
Compression Tests ◽  
Human Knee ◽  
Viscoelastic Parameters

Objectives Recapitulating the mechanical properties of articular cartilage (AC) is vital to facilitate the clinical translation of cartilage tissue engineering. Prior to evaluation of tissue-engineered constructs, it is fundamental to investigate the biomechanical properties of native AC under sudden, prolonged, and cyclic loads in a practical manner. However, previous studies have typically reported only the response of native AC to one or other of these loading regimes. We therefore developed a streamlined testing protocol to characterize the elastic and viscoelastic properties of human knee AC, generating values for several important parameters from the same sample. Design Human AC was harvested from macroscopically normal regions of distal femoral condyles of patients ( n = 3) undergoing total knee arthroplasty. Indentation and unconfined compression tests were conducted under physiological conditions (temperature 37 °C and pH 7.4) and testing parameters (strain rates and loading frequency) to assess elastic and viscoelastic parameters. Results The biomechanical properties obtained were as follows: Poisson ratio (0.4 ± 0.1), instantaneous modulus (52.14 ± 9.47 MPa) at a loading rate of 1 mm/s, Young’s modulus (1.03 ± 0.48 MPa), equilibrium modulus (7.48 ± 4.42 MPa), compressive modulus (10.60 ± 3.62 MPa), dynamic modulus (7.71 ± 4.62 MPa) at 1 Hz and loss factor (0.11 ± 0.02). Conclusions The measurements fell within the range of reported values for human knee AC biomechanics. To the authors’ knowledge this study is the first to report such a range of biomechanical properties for human distal femoral AC. This protocol may facilitate the assessment of tissue-engineered composites for their functionality and biomechanical similarity to native AC prior to clinical trials.

scholarly journals eNAMPT Is Localised to Areas of Cartilage Damage in Patients with Hip Osteoarthritis and Promotes Cartilage Catabolism and Inflammation

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 6719
Author(s):  
Ashleigh M. Philp ◽  
Sam Butterworth ◽  
Edward T. Davis ◽  
Simon W. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Articular Cartilage ◽  
Inflammatory Cytokines ◽  
Cartilage Damage ◽  
Hip Osteoarthritis ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteases ◽  
Cartilage Explants ◽  
Cartilage Tissue ◽  
Human Articular Cartilage ◽  
Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase ◽  
Pro Inflammatory Cytokines

Obesity increases the risk of hip osteoarthritis (OA). Recent studies have shown that adipokine extracellular nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (eNAMPT or visfatin) induces the production of IL-6 and matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) in chondrocytes, suggesting it may promote articular cartilage degradation. However, neither the functional effects of extracellular visfatin on human articular cartilage tissue, nor its expression in the joint of hip OA patients of varying BMI, have been reported. Hip OA joint tissues were collected from patients undergoing joint replacement surgery. Cartilage explants were stimulated with recombinant human visfatin. Pro-inflammatory cytokines and MMPs were measured by ELISA and Luminex. Localisation of visfatin expression in cartilage tissue was determined by immunohistochemistry. Cartilage matrix degradation was determined by quantifying proteoglycan release. Expression of visfatin was elevated in the synovial tissue of hip OA patients who were obese, and was co-localised with MMP-13 in areas of cartilage damage. Visfatin promoted the degradation of hip OA cartilage proteoglycan and induced the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, MCP-1, CCL20, and CCL4) and MMPs. The elevated expression of visfatin in the obese hip OA joint, and its functional effects on hip cartilage tissue, suggests it plays a central role in the loss of cartilage integrity in obese patients with hip OA.

The Wear Behavior of Cross-Linked UHMWPE under Dry and Bovine Calf Serum–Lubricated Conditions

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Liza ◽  
A. S. M. A. Haseeb ◽  
H. H. Masjuki ◽  
A. A Abbas
Keyword(s):  
Wear Behavior ◽  
Calf Serum ◽  
Bovine Calf Serum

scholarly journals A scaffold-free approach to cartilage tissue generation using human embryonic stem cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren A. Griffith ◽  
Katherine M. Arnold ◽  
Bram G. Sengers ◽  
Rahul S. Tare ◽  
Franchesca D. Houghton
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Articular Cartilage ◽  
Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Human Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Articular Chondrocytes ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Cartilage Tissue ◽  
Human Articular Cartilage ◽  
3D Scaffold ◽  
Tissue Constructs

AbstractArticular cartilage functions as a shock absorber and facilitates the free movement of joints. Currently, there are no therapeutic drugs that promote the healing of damaged articular cartilage. Limitations associated with the two clinically relevant cell populations, human articular chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem cells, necessitate finding an alternative cell source for cartilage repair. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) provide a readily accessible population of self-renewing, pluripotent cells with perceived immunoprivileged properties for cartilage generation. We have developed a robust method to generate 3D, scaffold-free, hyaline cartilage tissue constructs from hESCs that are composed of numerous chondrocytes in lacunae, embedded in an extracellular matrix containing Type II collagen, sulphated glycosaminoglycans and Aggrecan. The elastic (Young’s) modulus of the hESC-derived cartilage tissue constructs (0.91 ± 0.08 MPa) was comparable to full-thickness human articular cartilage (0.87 ± 0.09 MPa). Moreover, we have successfully scaled up the size of the scaffold-free, 3D hESC-derived cartilage tissue constructs to between 4.5 mm and 6 mm, thus enhancing their suitability for clinical application.

T2 MR imaging vs. computational modeling of human articular cartilage tissue functionality

2017 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 477-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Linka ◽  
Mikhail Itskov ◽  
Daniel Truhn ◽  
Sven Nebelung ◽  
Johannes Thüring
Keyword(s):  
Articular Cartilage ◽  
Mr Imaging ◽  
Computational Modeling ◽  
Cartilage Tissue ◽  
Human Articular Cartilage

Genipin Cross-Linked Fibrin Hydrogels for in vitro Human Articular Cartilage Tissue-Engineered Regeneration

2009 ◽  
Vol 190 (6) ◽  
pp. 313-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma V. Dare ◽  
May Griffith ◽  
Philippe Poitras ◽  
James A. Kaupp ◽  
Stephen D. Waldman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Articular Cartilage ◽  
Cartilage Tissue ◽  
Human Articular Cartilage

scholarly journals Progenitor Cells Activated by Platelet Lysate in Human Articular Cartilage as a Tool for Future Cartilage Engineering and Reparative Strategies

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simonetta Carluccio ◽  
Daniela Martinelli ◽  
Maria Elisabetta Federica Palamà ◽  
Rui Cruz Pereira ◽  
Roberto Benelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Articular Cartilage ◽  
Progenitor Cells ◽  
Articular Chondrocytes ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Primary Cultures ◽  
Platelet Lysate ◽  
Cartilage Explants ◽  
Cartilage Tissue ◽  
Human Articular Cartilage

Regenerative strategies for human articular cartilage are still challenging despite the presence of resident progenitor cell population. Today, many efforts in the field of regenerative medicine focus on the use of platelet derivatives due to their ability to reactivate endogenous mechanisms supporting tissue repair. While their use in orthopedics continues, mechanisms of action and efficacy need further characterization. We describe that the platelet lysate (PL) is able to activate chondro-progenitor cells in a terminally differentiated cartilage tissue. Primary cultures of human articular chondrocytes (ACs) and cartilage explants were set up from donor hip joint biopsies and were treated in vitro with PL. PL recruited a chondro-progenitors (CPCs)-enriched population from ex vivo cartilage culture, that showed high proliferation rate, clonogenicity and nestin expression. CPCs were positive for in vitro tri-lineage differentiation and formed hyaline cartilage-like tissue in vivo without hypertrophic fate. Moreover, the secretory profile of CPCs was analyzed, together with their migratory capabilities. Some CPC-features were also induced in PL-treated ACs compared to fetal bovine serum (FBS)-control ACs. PL treatment of human articular cartilage activates a stem cell niche responsive to injury. These facts can improve the PL therapeutic efficacy in cartilage applications.

scholarly journals The Releasate of Avascular Cartilage Demonstrates Inherent Pro-Angiogenic Properties In Vitro and In Vivo

Cartilage ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 194760352110476
Author(s):  
Yannick Nossin ◽  
Eric Farrell ◽  
Wendy J.L.M. Koevoet ◽  
Frank Datema ◽  
Rodrigo A. Somoza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Articular Cartilage ◽  
Nasal Septum ◽  
Healthy Adult ◽  
Cartilage Explants ◽  
Cartilage Tissue ◽  
Human Articular Cartilage ◽  
Cam Assay ◽  
Related Factors

Objective Cartilage is avascular and numerous studies have identified the presence of single anti- and pro-angiogenic factors in cartilage. To better understand the maintenance hyaline cartilage, we assessed the angiogenic potential of complete cartilage releasate with functional assays in vitro and in vivo. Design We evaluated the gene expression profile of angiogenesis-related factors in healthy adult human articular cartilage with a transcriptome-wide analysis generated by next-generation RNAseq. The effect on angiogenesis of the releasate of cartilage tissue was assessed with a chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay as well as human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) migration and proliferation assays using conditioned media generated from tissue-engineered cartilage derived from human articular and nasal septum chondrocytes as well as explants from bovine articular cartilage and human nasal septum. Experiments were done with triplicate samples of cartilage from 3 different donors. Results RNAseq data of 3 healthy human articular cartilage donors revealed that the majority of known angiogenesis-related factors expressed in healthy adult articular cartilage are pro-angiogenic. The releasate from generated cartilage as well as from tissue explants, demonstrated at least a 3.1-fold increase in HUVEC proliferation and migration indicating a pro-angiogenic effect of cartilage. Finally, the CAM assay demonstrated that cartilage explants can indeed attract vessels; however, their ingrowth was not observed. Conclusion Using multiple approaches, we show that cartilage releasate has an inherent pro-angiogenic capacity. It remains vessel free due to anti-invasive properties associated with the tissue itself.

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