Complex deformation of cartilage micropellets following mechanical stimulation promotes chondrocyte gene expression.

Background: Articular cartilage (AC)'s main function is to resist to a stressful mechanical environment, and chondrocytes are responding to mechanical stress for the development and homeostasis of this tissue. However, current knowledge on processes involved in response to mechanical stimulation is still limited. These mechanisms are commonly investigated in engineered cartilage models where the chondrocytes are included in an exogeneous biomaterial different from their natural extracellular matrix.

Cartilage biomechanics: From the basic facts to the challenges of tissue engineering.

Articular cartilage (AC) is the thin tissue that covers the long bone ends in the joints and that ensures the transmission of forces between adjacent bones while allowing nearly frictionless movements between them. AC repair is a technologic and scientific challenge that has been addressed with numerous approaches. A major deadlock is the capacity to take in account its complex mechanical properties in repair strategies.

Impact of extracellular matrix and collagen network properties on the cervical intervertebral disc response to physiological loads: A parametric study.

Current intervertebral disc finite element models are hard to validate since they describe multi-physical phenomena and contain a huge number of material properties. This work aims to simplify numerical validation/identification studies by prioritizing the sensitivity of intervertebral disc behavior to mechanical properties. A 3D fiber-reinforced hyperelastic model of a C6-C7 intervertebral disc is used to carry out the parametric study.