title: Effects of mechanical stress on chondrocyte phenotype and chondrocyte extracellular matrix expression.
abstract: Mechanical factors play a key role in regulating the development of cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis. This study aimed to identify the influence of mechanical stress in cartilage and chondrocytes. To explore the effects of mechanical stress on cartilage morphology, we observed cartilages in different regions by histological and microscopic examination. Nanoindentation was performed to assess cartilage biomechanics. To investigate the effects of mechanical stress on chondrocytes, cyclic tensile strain (CTS, 0.5 Hz, 10%) was applied to monolayer cultures of human articular chondrocytes by using Flexcell-5000. We quantified the mechanical properties of chondrocytes by atomic force microscopy. Chondrocytes were stained with Toluidine blue and Alcian blue after exposure to CTS. The expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules was detected by qPCR and immunofluorescence analyses in chondrocytes after CTS. Our results demonstrated distinct morphologies and mechanical properties in different cartilage regions. In conclusion, mechanical stress can affect the chondrocyte phenotype, thereby altering the expression of chondrocyte ECM.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sports Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Sports Injuries, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sports Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Sports Injuries, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaoqing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sports Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Sports Injuries, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sports Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Sports Injuries, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaoning
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sports Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Sports Injuries, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sports Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Sports Injuries, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Fengyuan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sports Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Sports Injuries, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yingfang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ao
mesh_terms: D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins