Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effect of Compressive Strain on Cell Viability in Statically Loaded Articular Cartilage

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Physiological loading of articulating joints is necessary for normal cartilage function. However, conditions of excessive overloading or trauma can cause cartilage injury resulting in matrix damage and cell death. The objective of this study was to evaluate chondrocyte viability within mechanically compressed articular cartilage removed from immature and mature bovine knees. Twenty-three mature and 68 immature cartilage specimens were subjected to static uniaxial confined-creep compressions of 0–70% and the extent of cell death was measured using fluorescent microscopic imaging. In both age groups, cell death was always initiated at the articular surface and increased linearly in depth with increasing strain magnitude. However, most of the cell death was localized within the superficial zone (SZ) of the cartilage matrix with the depth never greater than ~ 500 μm or 25% of the thickness of the test specimen. The immature cartilage was found to have a significantly greater (> 2 times) amount (depth) of cell death compared to the mature cartilage, especially at the higher strains. This finding was attributed to the lower compressive modulus of the immature cartilage in the SZ compared to that of the mature cartilage, resulting in a greater local matrix strain and concomitant cell surface membrane strain in this zone when the matrix was compressed. These results provide further insight into the capacity of articular cartilage in different age groups to resist the severity of traumatic injury from compressive loads.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bush PG, Hodkinson PD, Hamilton GL, Hall AC (2005) Viability and volume of in situ bovine articular chondrocytes-changes following a single impact and effects of medium osmolarity. Osteoarthr Cartil 13:54–65

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chahine NO, Wang CC, Hung CT, Ateshian GA (2004) Anisotropic strain-dependent material properties of bovine articular cartilage in the transitional range from tension to compression. J Biomech 37:1251–1261

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen AC, Bae WC, Schinagl RM, Sah RL (2001a) Depth- and strain-dependent mechanical and electromechanical properties of full-thickness bovine articular cartilage in confined compression. J Biomech 34:1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen SS, Falcovitz YH, Schnelderman R, Maroudas A, Sah RL (2001b) Depth-dependent compressive properties of normal aged human femoral head articular cartilage: Relationship to fixed charge density. Osteoarthr Cartil 9:561–569

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen CT, Bhargava M, Lin PM, Torzilli PA (2003) Time, stress, and location dependent chondrocyte death and collagen damage in cyclically loaded articular cartilage. J Orthop Res 21:888–898

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eckstein F, Lemberger B, Stammberger T, Englmeier KH, Reiser M (2000) Patellar cartilage deformation in vivo after static versus dynamic loading. J Biomech 33:819–825

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • von Eisenhart R, Adam C, Steinlechner M, Muller-Gerbl M, Eckstein F (1999) Quantitative determination of joint incongruity and pressure distribution during simulated gait and cartilage thickness in the human hip joint. J Orthop Res 17:532–539

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ewers BJ, Dvoracek-Driksna D, Orth MW, Haut RC (2001) The extent of matrix damage and chondrocyte death in mechanically traumatized articular cartilage explants depends on rate of loading. J Orthop Res 19:779–784

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Glaser C, Putz R (2002) Functional anatomy of articular cartilage under compressive loading. Quantitative aspects of global, local and zonal reactions of the collagenous network with respect to the surface integrity. Osteoarthr Cartil 10:83–99

    Google Scholar 

  • Grodzinsky AJ, Levenston ME, Jin M, Frank EH (2000) Cartilage tissue remodeling in response to mechanical forces. Ann Rev Biomed Eng 2:691–713

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guilak F (1995) Compression-induced changes in the shape and volume of the chondrocyte nucleus. J Biomech 28:1529–1541

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guilak F, Meyer BC, Ratcliffe A, Mow VC (1994) The effects of matrix compression on proteoglycan metabolism in articular cartilage explants. Osteoarthr Cartil 2:91–101

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guilak F, Ratcliffe A, Mow VC (1995) Chondrocyte deformation and local tissue strain in articular cartilage: A confocal microscopy study. J Orthop Res 13:410–421

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guilak F, Jones WR, Ting-Beall HP, Lee GM (1999) The deformation behavior and mechanical properties of chondrocytes in articular cartilage. Osteoarthr Cartil 7:59–70

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hidaka C, Cheng C, Alexandre D, Bhargava M, Torzilli PA (2005) Maturational differences in superficial and deep zone articular chondrocytes. Cell Tissue Res (in press)

  • Hodge W, Carlson K, Fuan R, Burgess R, Riley P, Harris W, Mann R (1989) Contact pressures from an instrumented hip prosthesis. J Bone Joint Surg 71A:1378–1386

    Google Scholar 

  • Kerin AJ, Wisnom MR, Adams MA (1998) The compressive strength of articular cartilage. Proc Inst Mech Eng [H] 212:273–280

    Google Scholar 

  • Krueger JA, Thisse P, Ewers BJ, Dvoracek-Driksna D, Orth MW, Haut RC (2003) The extent and distribution of cell death and matrix damage in impacted chondral explants varies with the presence of underlying bone. J Biomech Eng 125:114–119

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kuettner K, Schleyerbach R, Peyron J, Hascall V (1992) Articular cartilage and osteoarthritis. Raven Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurosawa H, Fukubayashi T, Nakajima H (1980) Load-bearing mode of the knee joint: Physical behavior of the knee joint with and without menisci. Clin Orthop Related Res 149:283–290

    Google Scholar 

  • Levin AS, Chen C-T, Torzilli PA (2005) Effect of tissue maturity on cell viability in mechanically loaded articular cartilage. Osteoarthr Cartil (in press)

  • Lucchinetti E, Adams CS, Horton WE, Torzilli PA (2002) Cartilage viability after repetitive loading: a preliminary report. Osteoarthr Cartil 10:71–81

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Milentijevic D, Helfet DL, Torzilli PA (2003) Influence of stress magnitude on water loss and chondrocyte viability in impacted articular cartilage. J Biomech Eng 125:594–601

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Milentijevic D, Torzilli PA (2005) Influence of stress rate on water loss, matrix deformation and chondrocyte viability in impacted articular cartilage. J Biomech 38:493–502

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Milentijevic D, Rubel IF, Liew ASL, Helfet DL, Torzilli PA (2005) An in vivo rabbit model for cartilage trauma: a preliminary study of the influence of impact stress magnitude on chondrocyte death and matrix damage. J Orthop Trauma (in press)

  • Mow VC, Kuei S, Lai W, Armstrong C (1980) Biphasic creep and stress relaxation of articular cartilage in compression: theory and experiments. J Biomech Eng 273–284

  • Notzli H, Clark JM(1997) Deformation of loaded articular cartilage prepared for scanning electron microscopy with rapid freezing and freeze-substitution fixation. J Orthop Res 15:76–86

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor P, Orford CR, Gardner DL (1988) Differential response to compressive loads of zones of canine hyaline articular cartilage: Micromechanical, light and electron microscopic studies. Ann Rheum Dis 47:414–420

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peeters EA, Oomens CW, Bouten CV, Bader DL, Baaijens FP (2005) Mechanical and failure properties of single attached cells under compression. J Biomech 38:1685–1693

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Poole CA (1997) Articular cartilage chondrons: Form, function and failure. J Anat 191:1–13

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Radin EL, Parker HG, Pugh JW, Steinberg RS, Paul IL, Rose RM (1973) Response of joints to impact loading. 3. Relationship between trabecular microfractures and cartilage degeneration. J Biomech 6:51–57

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sah RL, Kim YJ, Doong JYH, Grodzinsky AJ, Plaas AHK, Sandy JD (1989) Biosynthetic response of cartilage explants to dynamic compression. J Orthop Res 7:619–636

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schinagl RM, Gurskis D, Chen AC, Sah RL (1997) Depth-dependent confined compression modulus of full-thickness bovine articular cartilage. J Orthop Res 15:499–506

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Takamatsu H, Takeya R, Naito S, Sumimoto H (2005) On the mechanism of cell lysis by deformation. J Biomech 38:117–124

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Torzilli PA, Grigiene R, Huang C, Friedman SM, Doty SB, Boskey AL, Lust G (1997) Characterization of cartilage metabolic response to static and dynamic stress using a mechanical explant test system. J Biomech 30:1–9

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Torzilli P (1976) The lubrication of human joints: A review. In: Fleming DF (eds) Handbook of engineering in medicine and biology. CRC Press, Ohio

    Google Scholar 

  • Torzilli P (1984) Mechanical response of articular cartilage to an oscillating load. Mech Res Comm 11:75–82

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torzilli P, Askari E, Jenkins J (1990) Water content and solute diffusion properties of articular cartilage. In: Mow VC, Ratcliffe A, Woo SL-Y (eds) Biomehanics of diarthroidial joints. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Torzilli PA, Grande DA, Arduino JM (1998) Diffusive properties of immature articular cartilage. J Biomed Mater Res 40:132–138

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang CC, Hung CT, Mow VC (2001) An analysis of the effects of depth-dependent aggregate modulus on articular cartilage stress-relaxation behavior in compression. J Biomech 34:75–84

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang CC, Deng JM, Ateshian GA, Hung CT (2002) An automated approach for direct measurement of two-dimensional strain distributions within articular cartilage under unconfined compression. J Biomech Eng 124:557–67

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang CC, Chahine NO, Hung CT, Ateshian GA (2003) Optical determination of anisotropic material properties of bovine articular cartilage in compression. J Biomech 36:339–353

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Urban JP (1994) The chondrocyte: a cell under pressure. Br J Rheumatol 33:901–908

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Soft Tissue Research, Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 East 70th Street, New York, NY, 10021-4892, USA

    P. A. Torzilli, X-H. Deng & M. Ramcharan

Authors
  1. P. A. Torzilli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. X-H. Deng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. Ramcharan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. A. Torzilli.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Torzilli, P.A., Deng, XH. & Ramcharan, M. Effect of Compressive Strain on Cell Viability in Statically Loaded Articular Cartilage. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 5, 123–132 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10237-006-0030-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10237-006-0030-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation