Title: Role of mechanical signals in articular cartilage tissue regeneration: a review

Authors: Mahvash Shokrollahlahi; Hooman Mahmoudi Aznaveh; Elahe Entekhabi; Elham Karimi Baghtifouni; Zahra Ghaffari; Masoumeh Haghbin Nazarpak; Mahdi Mirsoofian

Addresses: New Technologies Research Center, Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, 15875-4413, Iran ' Department of Nanobiotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, 14115-154, Iran ' Department of Biomedical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, 15875-4413, Iran ' Department of Materials and Metallurgy, Faculty of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, 19839-69411, Iran ' Department of Biomedical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, 15875-4413, Iran ' New Technologies Research Center, Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, 15875-4413, Iran ' Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, University College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, 1699-14155, Iran

Abstract: Articular cartilage (AC) is a kind of connective tissue that wraps the surfaces of long bones in diarthrodial joints and serves a vital function in the human body. Damaged cartilage has low intrinsic healing potential, leading to progressive degradation and extensive joint degeneration, a critical clinical problem in osteoarthritis treatment. Although AC tissue engineering is a potential strategy for cartilage repair, in vitro developing cartilaginous tissue that resembles the properties of native cartilage seems complicated. Controlled mechanical loadings are utilised to produce constructions in functional tissue engineering (FTE) to drive the development of a more biomechanically-competent tissue. Therefore, a thorough understanding of mechanical signals' effect on osteoarthritis paves the way for using mechanical signals to regenerate cartilages with osteoarthritis. This review describes the effects of various mechanical stimuli on AC tissue engineering. Following a brief overview of AC structure and biological function, the effects of physical stress on native and tissue-generated AC are discussed.

Keywords: articular cartilage; chondrocytes; osteoarthritis; cartilage biomechanics; regeneration; mechanical signals; tissue engineering.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNBM.2023.132518

International Journal of Nano and Biomaterials, 2023 Vol.10 No.2, pp.100 - 139

Received: 04 Sep 2022
Accepted: 02 Mar 2023
Published online: 25 Jul 2023 *

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