Effect of impact load on articular cartilage: cell metabolism and viability, and matrix water content. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Significant evidence exists that trauma to a joint produced by a single impact load below that which causes subchondral bone fracture can result in permanent damage to the cartilage matrix, including surface fissures, loss of proteoglycan, and cell death. Limited information exists, however, on the effect of a varying impact stress on chondrocyte biophysiology and matrix integrity. Based on our previous work, we hypothesized that a stress-dependent response exists for both the chondrocyte's metabolic activity and viability and the matrix's hydration. This hypothesis was tested by impacting bovine cartilage explants with nominal stresses ranging from 0.5 to 65 MPa and measuring proteoglycan biosynthesis, cell viability, and water content immediately after impaction and 24 hours later. We found that proteoglycan biosynthesis decreased and water content increased with increasing impact stress. However, there appeared to be a critical threshold stress (15-20 MPa) that caused cell death and apparent rupture of the collagen fiber matrix at the time of impaction. We concluded that the cell death and collagen rupture are responsible for the observed alterations in the tissue's metabolism and water content, respectively, although the exact mechanism causing this damage could not be determined.

publication date

  • October 1, 1999

Research

keywords

  • Body Water
  • Cartilage, Articular
  • Weight-Bearing

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0033213436

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1115/1.2835070

PubMed ID

  • 10529909

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 121

issue

  • 5