Multi-axial mechanical stimulation of tissue engineered cartilage: review.

The development of tissue engineered cartilage is a promising new approach for the repair of damaged or diseased tissue. Since it has proven difficult to generate cartilaginous tissue with properties similar to that of native articular cartilage, several studies have used mechanical stimuli as a means to improve the quantity and quality of the developed tissue. In this study, we have investigated the effect of multi-axial loading applied during in vitro tissue formation to better reflect the physiological forces that chondrocytes are subjected to in vivo.

Effect of sodium bicarbonate on extracellular pH, matrix accumulation, and morphology of cultured articular chondrocytes.

Tissue engineering is a promising approach for articular cartilage repair; however, attempts to develop tissue that mimic native cartilage have been problematic. The synthesis and accumulation of extracellular matrix macromolecules may be adversely affected by a change in pH of the media during cell culture. Typically, zwitterion buffers (e.