Cyclic loading regime considered beneficial does not protect injured and interleukin-1-inflamed cartilage from post-traumatic osteoarthritis. (August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Eskelinen, Atte S.A.; Florea, Cristina; Tanska, Petri; Hung, Han-Hwa K.; Frank, Eliot H.; Mikkonen, Santtu; Nieminen, Petteri; Julkunen, Petro; Grodzinsky, Alan J.; Korhonen, Rami K.
• Is Part Of: Journal of biomechanics. Volume 141(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-08
• Subjects: Post-traumatic osteoarthritis -- Articular cartilage -- Inflammation -- Cyclic loading -- Injury; Animal mechanics -- Periodicals; Biomechanics -- Periodicals; Biomechanics -- Periodicals; Mécanique animale -- Périodiques; Biomécanique -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 571.4305
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2022.111181
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-9290

Abstract

Abstract: Injurious overloading and inflammation perturbate homeostasis of articular cartilage, leading to abnormal tissue-level loading during post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Our objective was to gain time- and cartilage depth-dependent insights into the early-stage disease progression with an in vitro model incorporating for the first time the coaction of (1) mechanical injury, (2) pro-inflammatory interleukin-1 challenge, and (3) cyclic loading mimicking walking and considered beneficial for cartilage health. Cartilage plugs ( n = 406) were harvested from the patellofemoral grooves of young calves ( N = 6) and subjected to injurious compression (50% strain, rate 100%/s; INJ), interleukin-1α-challenge (1 ng/ml; IL), and cyclic loading (intermittent 1 h loading periods, 15% strain, 1 Hz; CL). Plugs were assigned to six groups (control, INJ, IL, INJ-IL, IL-CL, INJ-IL-CL). Bulk and localized glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content (DMMB assay, digital densitometry), aggrecan biosynthesis ( 35 S-sulfate incorporation), and chondrocyte viability (fluorescence microscopy) were assessed on days 3–12. The INJ, IL, and INJ-IL groups exhibited rapid early (days 2–4) GAG loss in contrast to CL groups. On day 3, deep cartilage of INJ-IL-CL group had higher GAG content than INJ group ( p < 0.05). On day 12, INJ-IL-CL group showed more accumulated GAG loss (normalized with control) than INJ-IL group (average fold changes 1.97 [95% CI: 1.23–2.70]; 1.66 [1.42–1.89]; p = 0.007). Aggrecan biosynthesis increased in CL groups on day 12 compared to day 0. Despite promoting aggrecan biosynthesis, this cyclic loading protocol seems to be beneficial early-on to deep cartilage, but later becoming incapable of restricting further degradation triggered by marked but non-destructive injury and cytokine transport.