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The Mechanobiology of Articular Cartilage: Bearing the Burden of Osteoarthritis

  • Osteoarthritis (MB Goldring, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Articular cartilage injuries and degenerative joint diseases are responsible for progressive pain and disability in millions of people worldwide, yet there is currently no treatment available to restore full joint functionality. As the tissue functions under mechanical load, an understanding of the physiologic or pathologic effects of biomechanical factors on cartilage physiology is of particular interest. Here, we highlight studies that have measured cartilage deformation at scales ranging from the macroscale to the microscale, as well as the responses of the resident cartilage cells, chondrocytes, to mechanical loading using in vitro and in vivo approaches. From these studies, it is clear that there exists a complex interplay among mechanical, inflammatory, and biochemical factors that can either support or inhibit cartilage matrix homeostasis under normal or pathologic conditions. Understanding these interactions is an important step toward developing tissue engineering approaches and therapeutic interventions for cartilage pathologies, such as osteoarthritis.

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Acknowledgments

Supported in part by the Arthritis Foundation and NIH grants AR48182, AR48852, AG15768, AR50245, AG46927, and AG40868.

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

ᅟ

Conflict of Interest

Johannah Sanchez-Adams reports the receipt of grants from the Arthritis Foundation.

Christopher J. O’Conor reports the receipt of grants from the NIH.

Farshid Guilak reports the receipt of grants from the Arthritis Foundation and the NIH.

Holly A. Leddy and Amy L. McNulty declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, 375 Medical Sciences Research Bldg., Box 3093, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Johannah Sanchez-Adams, Holly A. Leddy, Amy L. McNulty, Christopher J. O’Conor & Farshid Guilak

  2. University of North Carolina/North Carolina State University Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA

    Christopher J. O’Conor & Farshid Guilak

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  1. Johannah Sanchez-Adams
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  2. Holly A. Leddy
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  3. Amy L. McNulty
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  4. Christopher J. O’Conor
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  5. Farshid Guilak
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Correspondence to Farshid Guilak.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Osteoarthritis

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Sanchez-Adams, J., Leddy, H.A., McNulty, A.L. et al. The Mechanobiology of Articular Cartilage: Bearing the Burden of Osteoarthritis. Curr Rheumatol Rep 16, 451 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-014-0451-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-014-0451-6

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