Stress relaxation and structural analysis were used to investigate the zonally differentiated microstructural response to compression of the integrated cartilage-on-bone tissue system. Fifteen cartilage-on-bone samples were divided into three equal groups and their stress relaxation responses obtained at three different levels of axial compressive strain defined as low (~20%), medium (~40%) and...

Chondrons form the fundamental biomechanical and metabolic unit of articular cartilage. But there is no accurate description of chondron volume which is known to change when articular cartilage is functionally loaded. This report discusses the 3D feature analysis of the confocal microscopy images of chondrons. The basic principle of confocal microscopy is described. The segmentation problem of ...

Introduction: The mechanical environment of the chondrocyte is one of several important environmental factors which influence the normal balance between synthesis and degradation of the articular cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM). Previous studies have shown that compression of cartilage explants alters cellular metabolism in a timeand spatially-varying manner which is correlated with the lo...

objective(s): three-dimensional biomimetic scaffolds have widespread applications in biomedical tissue engineering due to similarity of their nanofibrous architecture to native extracellular matrix. co-culture system has stimulatory effect on chondrogenesis of adult mesenchymal stem cells. this work presents a co-culture strategy using human articular chondrons and adipose-derived stem cells (a...

INTRODUCTION: Articular cartilage is the connective tissue lining the articulating surfaces of diarthrodial joints, providing a low-friction, load bearing surface during joint motion. Articular cartilage consists of a single cell type, chondrocytes, embedded within an extensive extracellular matrix (ECM). The chondrocytes are surrounded by a narrow region called the pericellular matrix (PCM) th...

Biomechanical studies are expanding across a variety of fields, from biomedicine to biomedical engineering. From the molecular system level, mechanical stimuli crucial regulators development organs and tissues, their growth related processes such as remodelling, regeneration or disease. When dealing with cell mechanics, various experimental techniques have been developed analyse passive respons...

To withstand physiological loading over a lifetime, human synovial joints are covered and protected by articular cartilage, a layer of low-friction, load-bearing tissue. The unique mechanical function of articular cartilage largely depends on the composition and structural integrity of the cartilage matrix. The matrix is produced by highly specialized resident cells called chondrocytes. Under p...