Nutrient Utilization by Bovine Articular Chondrocytes: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Approach

Techniques for Visualization and Quantification of Primary Cilia in Chondrocytes

Primary cilia regulate and coordinate a variety of cell signaling pathways important in chondrocyte physiology and cartilage development, health, and disease. Despite this, the chondrocyte primary cilium and its associated role in cartilage biology remains poorly understood. Key to elucidating primary cilia structure and function in chondrocytes is the ability to visualize this unique structure. Here we describe materials and methods for immunofluorescence labeling, microscopy, and measurement of chondrocyte primary cilia.

Optimization of Oxygen Delivery Within Hydrogels

The field of tissue engineering has been continuously evolving since its inception over three decades ago with numerous new advancements in biomaterials and cell sources and widening applications to most tissues in the body. Despite the substantial promise and great opportunities for the advancement of current medical therapies and procedures, the field has yet to capture wide clinical translation due to some remaining challenges, including oxygen availability within constructs, both in vitro and in vivo. While this insufficiency of nutrients, specifically oxygen, is a limitation within the current frameworks of this field, the literature shows promise in new technological advances to efficiently provide adequate delivery of nutrients to cells. This review attempts to capture the most recent advances in the field of oxygen transport in hydrogel-based tissue engineering, including a comparison of current research as it pertains to the modeling, sensing, and optimization of oxygen within hydrogel constructs as well as new technological innovations to overcome traditional diffusion-based limitations. The application of these findings can further the advancement and development of better hydrogel-based tissue engineered constructs for future clinical translation and adoption.

Measuring and Modeling Oxygen Transport and Consumption in 3D Hydrogels Containing Chondrocytes and Stem Cells of Different Tissue Origins

Understanding how the local cellular environment influences cell metabolism, phenotype and matrix synthesis is crucial to engineering functional tissue grafts of a clinically relevant scale. The objective of this study was to investigate how the local oxygen environment within engineered cartilaginous tissues is influenced by factors such as cell source, environmental oxygen tension and the cell seeding density. Furthermore, the subsequent impact of such factors on both the cellular oxygen consumption rate and cartilage matrix synthesis were also examined. Bone marrow derived stem cells (BMSCs), infrapatellar fat pad derived stem cells (FPSCs) and chondrocytes (CCs) were seeded into agarose hydrogels and stimulated with transforming growth factor-β3 (TGF- β3). The local oxygen concentration was measured within the center of the constructs, and numerical modeling was employed to predict oxygen gradients and the average oxygen consumption rate within the engineered tissues. The cellular oxygen consumption rate of hydrogel encapsulated CCs remained relatively unchanged with time in culture. In contrast, stem cells were found to possess a relatively high initial oxygen consumption rate, but adopted a less oxidative, more chondrocyte-like oxygen consumption profile following chondrogenic differentiation, resulting in net increases in engineered tissue oxygenation. Furthermore, a greater reduction in oxygen uptake was observed when the oxygen concentration of the external cell culture environment was reduced. In general, cartilage matrix deposition was found to be maximal in regions of low oxygen, but collagen synthesis was inhibited in very low (less than 2%) oxygen regions. These findings suggest that promoting an oxygen consumption profile similar to that of chondrocytes might be considered a key determinant to the success of stem cell-based cartilage tissue engineering strategies.

A Hybrid Model of Cartilage Regeneration Capturing the Interactions Between Cellular Dynamics and Porosity

To accelerate the development of strategies for cartilage tissue engineering, models are necessary to investigate the interactions between cellular dynamics and the local microenvironment. We use a discrete framework to capture the individual behavior of cells, modeling experiments where cells are seeded in a porous scaffold or hydrogel and over the time course of a month, the scaffold slowly degrades while cells divide and synthesize extracellular matrix constituents. The movement of cells and the ability to proliferate is a function of the local porosity, defined as the volume fraction of fluid in the surrounding region. A phenomenological approach is used to capture a continuous profile for the degrading scaffold and accumulating matrix, which will then change the local porosity throughout the construct. We parameterize the model by first matching total cell counts in the construct to chondrocytes seeded in a polyglycolic acid scaffold (Freed et al. in Biotechnol Bioeng 43:597-604, 1994). We investigate the influence of initial scaffold porosity on the total cell count and spatial profiles of cell and ECM in the construct. Cell counts were higher at day 30 in scaffolds of lower initial porosity, and similar cell counts were obtained using different models of scaffold degradation and matrix accumulation (either uniform or cell-specific). Using this modeling framework, we study the interplay between a phenomenological representation of scaffold architecture and porosity as well as the potential continuous application of growth factors. We determine parameter regimes where large cellular aggregates occur, which can hinder matrix accumulation and cellular proliferation. The developed modeling framework can easily be extended and can be used to identify optimal scaffolds and culture conditions that lead to a desired distribution of extracellular matrix and cell counts throughout the construct.

Efficient Computational Design of a Scaffold for Cartilage Cell Regeneration

Due to the sensitivity of mammalian cell cultures, understanding the influence of operating conditions during a tissue generation procedure is crucial. In this regard, a detailed study of scaffold based cell culture under a perfusion flow is presented with the aid of mathematical modelling and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). With respect to the complexity of the case study, this work focuses solely on the effect of nutrient and metabolite concentrations, and the possible influence of fluid-induced shear stress on a targeted cell (cartilage) culture. The simulation set up gives the possibility of predicting the cell culture behavior under various operating conditions and scaffold designs. Thereby, the exploitation of the predictive simulation into a newly developed stochastic routine provides the opportunity of exploring improved scaffold geometry designs. This approach was applied on a common type of fibrous structure in order to increase the process efficiencies compared with the regular used formats. The suggested topology supplies a larger effective surface for cell attachment compared to the reference design while the level of shear stress is kept at the positive range of effect. Moreover, significant improvement of mass transfer is predicted for the suggested topology.

The nutrition of the human meniscus: A computational analysis investigating the effect of vascular recession on tissue homeostasis

The meniscus is essential to the functioning of the knee, offering load support, congruency, lubrication, and protection to the underlying cartilage. Meniscus degeneration affects ∼35% of the population, and potentially leads to knee osteoarthritis. The etiology of meniscal degeneration remains to be elucidated, although many factors have been considered. However, the role of nutritional supply to meniscus cells in the pathogenesis of meniscus degeneration has been so far overlooked. Nutrients are delivered to meniscal cells through the surrounding synovial fluid and the blood vessels present in the outer region of the meniscus. During maturation, vascularization progressively recedes up to the outer 10% of the tissue, leaving the majority avascular. It has been hypothesized that vascular recession might significantly reduce the nutrient supply to cells, thus contributing to meniscus degeneration. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of vascular recession on nutrient levels available to meniscus cells. This was done by developing a novel computational model for meniscus homeostasis based on mixture theory. It was found that transvascular transport of nutrients in the vascularized region of the meniscus contributes to more than 40% of the glucose content in the core of the tissue. However, vascular recession does not significantly alter nutrient levels in the meniscus, reducing at most 5% of the nutrient content in the central portion of the tissue. Therefore, our analysis suggests that reduced vascularity is not likely a primary initiating source in tissue degeneration. However, it does feasibly play a key role in inability for self-repair, as seen clinically.

A mathematical model of tissue-engineered cartilage development under cyclic compressive loading

In this work a coupled model of solute transport and uptake, cell proliferation, extracellular matrix synthesis and remodeling of mechanical properties accounting for the impact of mechanical loading is presented as an advancement of a previously validated coupled model for free-swelling tissue-engineered cartilage cultures. Tissue-engineering constructs were modeled as biphasic with a linear elastic solid, and relevant intrinsic mechanical stimuli in the constructs were determined by numerical simulation for use as inputs of the coupled model. The mechanical dependent formulations were derived from a calibration and parametrization dataset and validated by comparison of normalized ratios of cell counts, total glycosaminoglycans and collagen after 24-h continuous cyclic unconfined compression from another dataset. The model successfully fit the calibration dataset and predicted the results from the validation dataset with good agreement, with average relative errors up to 3.1 and 4.3 %, respectively. Temporal and spatial patterns determined for other model outputs were consistent with reported studies. The results suggest that the model describes the interaction between the simultaneous factors involved in in vitro tissue-engineered cartilage culture under dynamic loading. This approach could also be attractive for optimization of culture protocols, namely through the application to longer culture times and other types of mechanical stimuli.

Nutrient Channels Aid the Growth of Articular Surface-Sized Engineered Cartilage Constructs

Symptomatic osteoarthritic lesions span large regions of joint surfaces and the ability to engineer cartilage constructs at clinically relevant sizes would be highly desirable. We previously demonstrated that nutrient transport limitations can be mitigated by the introduction of channels in 10 mm diameter cartilage constructs. In this study, we scaled up our previous system to cast and cultivate 40 mm diameter constructs (2.3 mm overall thickness); 4 mm diameter and channeled 10 mm diameter constructs were studied for comparison. Furthermore, to assess whether prior results using primary bovine cells are applicable for passaged cells-a more clinically realistic scenario-we cast constructs of each size with primary or twice-passaged cells. Constructs were assessed mechanically for equilibrium compressive Young's modulus (EY), dynamic modulus at 0.01 Hz (G*), and friction coefficient (μ); they were also assessed biochemically, histologically, and immunohistochemically for glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and collagen contents. By maintaining open channels, we successfully cultured robust constructs the size of entire human articular cartilage layers (growing to ∼52 mm in diameter, 4 mm thick, mass of 8 g by day 56), representing a 100-fold increase in scale over our 4 mm diameter constructs, without compromising their functional properties. Large constructs reached EY of up to 623 kPa and GAG contents up to 8.9%/ww (% of wet weight), both within native cartilage ranges, had G* >2 MPa, and up to 3.5%/ww collagen. Constructs also exhibited some of the lowest μ reported for engineered cartilage (0.06-0.11). Passaged cells produced tissue of lower quality, but still exhibited native EY and GAG content, similar to their smaller controls. The constructs produced in this study are, to our knowledge, the largest engineered cartilage constructs to date which possess native EY and GAG, and are a testament to the effectiveness of nutrient channels in overcoming transport limitations in cartilage tissue engineering.

Extracellular Matrix Deposition in Engineered Micromass Cartilage Pellet Cultures: Measurements and Modelling

This article explores possible mechanisms governing extracellular matrix deposition in engineered cartilaginous cell pellets. A theoretical investigation is carried out alongside an experimental study measuring proteoglycan and collagen volume fractions within murine chondrogenic (ATDC-5) cell pellets. The simple mathematical model, which adopts a nutrient-dependent proteoglycan production rate, successfully reproduces the periphery-dominated proteoglycan deposition, characteristic of the growth pattern observed experimentally within pellets after 21 days of culture. The results suggest that this inhomogeneous proteoglycan production is due to nutrient deficiencies at the pellet centre. Our model analysis further indicates that a spatially uniform distribution of proteoglycan matrix could be maintained by initiating the culture process with a smaller-sized pellet. Finally, possible extensions are put forward with an aim to improve the model predictions for the early behaviour, where different mechanisms appear to dominate the matrix production within the pellets.

A puzzle assembly strategy for fabrication of large engineered cartilage tissue constructs

Engineering of large articular cartilage tissue constructs remains a challenge as tissue growth is limited by nutrient diffusion. Here, a novel strategy is investigated, generating large constructs through the assembly of individually cultured, interlocking, smaller puzzle-shaped subunits. These constructs can be engineered consistently with more desirable mechanical and biochemical properties than larger constructs (~4-fold greater Young׳s modulus). A failure testing technique was developed to evaluate the physiologic functionality of constructs, which were cultured as individual subunits for 28 days, then assembled and cultured for an additional 21-35 days. Assembled puzzle constructs withstood large deformations (40-50% compressive strain) prior to failure. Their ability to withstand physiologic loads may be enhanced by increases in subunit strength and assembled culture time. A nude mouse model was utilized to show biocompatibility and fusion of assembled puzzle pieces in vivo. Overall, the technique offers a novel, effective approach to scaling up engineered tissues and may be combined with other techniques and/or applied to the engineering of other tissues. Future studies will aim to optimize this system in an effort to engineer and integrate robust subunits to fill large defects.

Matrix Production in Large Engineered Cartilage Constructs Is Enhanced by Nutrient Channels and Excess Media Supply

Cartilage tissue engineering is a promising approach to resurfacing osteoarthritic joints. Existing techniques successfully engineer small-sized constructs with native levels of extracellular matrix (glycosaminoglycans [GAG] or collagen). However, a remaining challenge is the growth of large-sized constructs with properties similar to those of small constructs, due to consumption and transport limitations resulting in inadequate nutrient availability within the interior of large constructs. This study employed system-specific computational models for estimating glucose requirements of large constructs, with or without channels, to enhance nutrient availability. Based on glucose requirements for matrix synthesis in cartilage constructs, computational simulations were performed to identify the media volume (MV) and the number of nutrient channels (CH) needed to maintain adequate glucose levels within tissue constructs over the 3-day period between media replenishments. In Study 1, the influence of MV (5, 10, 15 mL/construct) and number of nutrient channels (CH: 0, 3, 7, 12 per construct) on glucose availability was investigated computationally for ∅10 × 2.34 mm cylindrical constructs. Results showed that the conventionally used MV 5 led to deleterious glucose depletion after only 40 h of culture, and that MV 15 was required to maintain sufficient glucose levels for all channel configurations. Study 2 examined experimentally the validity of these predictions, for tissue constructs cultured for 56 days. Matrix elaboration was highest in MV 15/CH 12 constructs (21.6% ± 2.4%/ww GAG, 5.5% ± 0.7%/ww collagen, normalized to wet weight (ww) on day 0), leading to the greatest amount of swelling (3.0 ± 0.3 times day-0 volume), in contrast to the significantly lower matrix elaboration of conventional culture, MV 5/CH 0 (11.8% ± 1.6%/ww GAG and 2.5% ± 0.6%/ww collagen, 1.6 ± 0.1 times day-0 volume). The computational analyses correctly predicted the need to increase the conventional media levels threefold to support matrix synthesis in large channeled engineered constructs. Results also suggested that more elaborate computational models are needed for accurate predictive tissue engineering simulations, which account for a broader set of nutrients, cell proliferation, matrix synthesis, and swelling of the constructs.

Modelling and simulation of the chondrocyte cell growth, glucose consumption and lactate production within a porous tissue scaffold inside a perfusion bioreactor

Mathematical and numerical modelling of the tissue culture process in a perfusion bioreactor is able to provide insight into the fluid flow, nutrients and wastes transport, dynamics of the pH value, and the cell growth rate. Knowing the complicated interdependence of these processes is essential for optimizing the culture process for cell growth. This paper presents a resolved scale numerical simulation, which allows one not only to characterize the supply of glucose inside a porous tissue scaffold in a perfusion bioreactor, but also to assess the overall culture condition and predict the cell growth rate. The simulation uses a simplified scaffold that consists of a repeatable unit composed of multiple strands. The simulation results explore some problematic regions inside the simplified scaffold where the concentration of glucose becomes lower than the critical value for the chondrocyte cell viability and the cell growth rate becomes significantly reduced.

Nutrient channels and stirring enhanced the composition and stiffness of large cartilage constructs

A significant challenge in cartilage tissue engineering is to successfully culture functional tissues that are sufficiently large to treat osteoarthritic joints. Transport limitations due to nutrient consumption by peripheral cells produce heterogeneous constructs with matrix-deficient centers. Incorporation of nutrient channels into large constructs is a promising technique for alleviating transport limitations, in conjunction with simple yet effective methods for enhancing media flow through channels. Cultivation of cylindrical channeled constructs flat in culture dishes, with or without orbital shaking, produced asymmetric constructs with poor tissue properties. We therefore explored a method for exposing the entire construct surface to the culture media, while promoting flow through the channels. To this end, chondrocyte-seeded agarose constructs (∅10mm, 2.34mm thick), with zero or three nutrient channels (∅1mm), were suspended on their sides in custom culture racks and subjected to three media stirring modes for 56 days: uniaxial rocking, orbital shaking, or static control. Orbital shaking led to the highest construct EY, sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG), and collagen contents, whereas rocking had detrimental effects on sGAG and collagen versus static control. Nutrient channels increased EY as well as sGAG homogeneity, and the beneficial effects of channels were most marked in orbitally shaken samples. Under these conditions, the constructs developed symmetrically and reached or exceeded native levels of EY (~400kPa) and sGAG (~9%/ww). These results suggest that the cultivation of channeled constructs in culture racks with orbital shaking is a promising method for engineering mechanically competent large cartilage constructs.

Scaffold-free cartilage subjected to frictional shear stress demonstrates damage by cracking and surface peeling

Scaffold-free engineered cartilage is being explored as a treatment for osteoarthritis. In this study, frictional shear stress was applied to determine the friction and damage behaviour of scaffold-free engineered cartilage, and tissue composition was investigated as it related to damage. Scaffold-free engineered cartilage frictional shear stress was found to exhibit a time-varying response similar to that of native cartilage. However, damage occurred that was not seen in native cartilage, manifesting primarily as tearing through the central plane of the constructs. In engineered cartilage, cells occupied a significantly larger portion of the tissue in the central region where damage was most prominent (18 ± 3% of tissue was comprised of cells in the central region vs 5 ± 1% in the peripheral region; p < 0.0001). In native cartilage, cells comprised 1-4% of tissue for all regions. Average bulk cellularity of engineered cartilage was also greater (68 × 10³  ± 4 × 10³ vs 52 × 10³  ± 22 × 10³ cells/mg), although this difference was not significant. Bulk tissue comparisons showed significant differences between engineered and native cartilage in hydroxyproline content (8 ± 2 vs 45 ± 3 µg HYP/mg dry weight), solid content (12.5 ± 0.4% vs 17.9 ± 1.2%), shear modulus (0.06 ± 0.02 vs 0.15 ± 0.07 MPa) and aggregate modulus (0.12 ± 0.03 vs 0.32 ± 0.14 MPa), respectively. These data indicate that enhanced collagen content and more uniform extracellular matrix distribution are necessary to reduce damage susceptibility. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The effect of oxygen tension on human articular chondrocyte matrix synthesis: integration of experimental and computational approaches

Significant oxygen gradients occur within tissue engineered cartilaginous constructs. Although oxygen tension is an important limiting parameter in the development of new cartilage matrix, its precise role in matrix formation by chondrocytes remains controversial, primarily due to discrepancies in the experimental setup applied in different studies. In this study, the specific effects of oxygen tension on the synthesis of cartilaginous matrix by human articular chondrocytes were studied using a combined experimental-computational approach in a “scaffold-free” 3D pellet culture model. Key parameters including cellular oxygen uptake rate were determined experimentally and used in conjunction with a mathematical model to estimate oxygen tension profiles in 21-day cartilaginous pellets. A threshold oxygen tension (pO₂ ≈ 8% atmospheric pressure) for human articular chondrocytes was estimated from these inferred oxygen profiles and histological analysis of pellet sections. Human articular chondrocytes that experienced oxygen tension below this threshold demonstrated enhanced proteoglycan deposition. Conversely, oxygen tension higher than the threshold favored collagen synthesis. This study has demonstrated a close relationship between oxygen tension and matrix synthesis by human articular chondrocytes in a “scaffold-free” 3D pellet culture model, providing valuable insight into the understanding and optimization of cartilage bioengineering approaches. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 1876–1885.

Insulin, ascorbate, and glucose have a much greater influence than transferrin and selenous acid on the in vitro growth of engineered cartilage in chondrogenic media

The primary goal of this study was to characterize the response of chondrocyte-seeded agarose constructs to varying concentrations of several key nutrients in a chondrogenic medium, within the overall context of optimizing the key nutrients and the placement of nutrient channels for successful growth of cartilage tissue constructs large enough to be clinically relevant in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). To this end, chondrocyte-agarose constructs (ø4×2.34 mm, 30×10(6) cells/mL) were subjected to varying supplementation levels of insulin (0× to 30× relative to standard supplementation), transferrin (0× to 30×), selenous acid (0× to 10×), ascorbate (0× to 30×), and glucose (0× to 3×). The quality of resulting engineered tissue constructs was evaluated by their compressive modulus (E(-Y)), tensile modulus (E(+Y)), hydraulic permeability (k), and content of sulfated glycosaminoglycans (sGAG) and collagen (COL); DNA content was also quantified. Three control groups from two separate castings of constructs (1× concentrations of all medium constituents) were used. After 42 days of culture, values in each of these controls were, respectively, E(-Y)=518±78, 401±113, 236±67 kPa; E(+Y)=1420±430, 1140±490, 1240±280 kPa; k=2.3±0.8×10(-3), 5.4±7.0×10(-3), 3.3±1.3×10(-3) mm(4)/N·s; sGAG=7.8±0.3, 6.3±0.4, 4.1±0.5%/ww; COL=1.3±0.2, 1.1±0.3, 1.4±0.4%/ww; and DNA=11.5±2.2, 12.1±0.6, 5.2±2.8 μg/disk. The presence of insulin and ascorbate was essential, but their concentrations may drop as low as 0.3× without detrimental effects on any of the measured properties; excessive supplementation of ascorbate (up to 30×) was detrimental to E(-Y), and 30× insulin was detrimental to both E(+Y) and E(-Y). The presence of glucose was similarly essential, and matrix elaboration was significantly dependent on its concentration (p<10(-6)), with loss of functional properties, composition, and cellularity observed at ≤0.3×; excessive glucose supplementation (up to 3×) showed no detrimental effects. In contrast, transferrin and selenous acid had no influence on matrix elaboration. These findings suggest that adequate distributions of insulin, ascorbate, and glucose, but not necessarily of transferrin and selenous acid, must be ensured within large engineered cartilage constructs to produce a viable substitute for joint tissue lost due to OA.

Modulating gradients in regulatory signals within mesenchymal stem cell seeded hydrogels: a novel strategy to engineer zonal articular cartilage

Engineering organs and tissues with the spatial composition and organisation of their native equivalents remains a major challenge. One approach to engineer such spatial complexity is to recapitulate the gradients in regulatory signals that during development and maturation are believed to drive spatial changes in stem cell differentiation. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation is known to be influenced by both soluble factors and mechanical cues present in the local microenvironment. The objective of this study was to engineer a cartilaginous tissue with a native zonal composition by modulating both the oxygen tension and mechanical environment thorough the depth of MSC seeded hydrogels. To this end, constructs were radially confined to half their thickness and subjected to dynamic compression (DC). Confinement reduced oxygen levels in the bottom of the construct and with the application of DC, increased strains across the top of the construct. These spatial changes correlated with increased glycosaminoglycan accumulation in the bottom of constructs, increased collagen accumulation in the top of constructs, and a suppression of hypertrophy and calcification throughout the construct. Matrix accumulation increased for higher hydrogel cell seeding densities; with DC further enhancing both glycosaminoglycan accumulation and construct stiffness. The combination of spatial confinement and DC was also found to increase proteoglycan-4 (lubricin) deposition toward the top surface of these tissues. In conclusion, by modulating the environment through the depth of developing constructs, it is possible to suppress MSC endochondral progression and to engineer tissues with zonal gradients mimicking certain aspects of articular cartilage.

Computational modeling of nutrient utilization in engineered cartilage

This study presents a mathematical model for simulating cartilaginous culture of chondrocytes seeded in scaffolds and for investigating the effects of glucose and oxygen concentration and pH value on cell metabolic rates. The model can clearly interpret the unexplained experimental observation (Sengers BG, Heywood HK, Lee DA, Oomens CWJ, Bader DL. Nutrient utilization by bovine articular chondrocytes: A combined experimental and theoretical approach. J Biomech Eng. 2005;127:758-766.), which showed that the oxygen concentration within the scaffold may increase instead of continuously decreasing in static cartilaginous culture of chondrocytes. Results from simulation demonstrate that when cells metabolize glucose and form lactate under high glucose concentration conditions, the acidity in the culture environment increases, inhibiting cell metabolic rates in the process. Consequently, the rate of oxygen consumption decreases in later stages of cell culture. As oxygen can be replenished through the free surface of the culture medium, oxygen concentration within the scaffold increases rather than decreases over time in the acidic environment. Different initial glucose concentration yields different results. In low glucose concentration conditions, oxygen concentration basically keeps decreasing with culture time. This is because the pH in the environment does not significantly change because of slower glycolysis rate in low glucose concentration cases, forming less lactic acid. From the simulation results, additional information regarding in vitro culture of chondrocytes is obtained. The correlations between nutrient consumption, lactate secretion, and pH changes during cell culture are also understood and may serve as a reference for in vitro cell culture research of tissue engineering.

Multiscale mechanics of articular cartilage: potentials and challenges of coupling musculoskeletal, joint, and microscale computational models

Articular cartilage experiences significant mechanical loads during daily activities. Healthy cartilage provides the capacity for load bearing and regulates the mechanobiological processes for tissue development, maintenance, and repair. Experimental studies at multiple scales have provided a fundamental understanding of macroscopic mechanical function, evaluation of the micromechanical environment of chondrocytes, and the foundations for mechanobiological response. In addition, computational models of cartilage have offered a concise description of experimental data at many spatial levels under healthy and diseased conditions, and have served to generate hypotheses for the mechanical and biological function. Further, modeling and simulation provides a platform for predictive risk assessment, management of dysfunction, as well as a means to relate multiple spatial scales. Simulation-based investigation of cartilage comes with many challenges including both the computational burden and often insufficient availability of data for model development and validation. This review outlines recent modeling and simulation approaches to understand cartilage function from a mechanical systems perspective, and illustrates pathways to associate mechanics with biological function. Computational representations at single scales are provided from the body down to the microstructure, along with attempts to explore multiscale mechanisms of load sharing that dictate the mechanical environment of the cartilage and chondrocytes.

Novel strategies to engineering biological tissue in vitro

Tissue engineering creates biological tissues that aim to improve the function of diseased or damaged tissues. In this chapter, we examine the promise and shortcomings of "top-down" and "bottom-up" approaches for creating engineered biological tissues. In top-down approaches, the cells are expected to populate the scaffold and create the appropriate extracellular matrix and microarchitecture often with the aid of a bioreactor that furnish the set of stimuli required for an optimal cellular viability. Specifically, we survey the role of cell material interaction on oxygen metabolism in three-dimensional (3D) in vitro cultures as well as the time and space evolution of the transport and biophysical properties during the development of de novo synthesized tissue-engineered constructs. We show how to monitor and control the evolution of these parameters that is of crucial importance to process biohybrid constructs in vitro as well as to elaborate reliable mathematical model to forecast tissue growth under specific culture conditions. Furthermore, novel strategies such as bottom-up approaches to build tissue constructs in vitro are examined. In this fashion, tissue building blocks with specific microarchitectural features are used as modular units to engineer biological tissues from the bottom up. In particular, the attention will be focused on the use of cell seeded microbeads as functional building blocks to realize 3D complex tissue. Finally, a challenge will be the potential integration of bottom-up techniques with more traditional top-down approaches to create more complex tissues than are currently achievable using either technique alone by optimizing the advantages of each technique.

Tissue engineering of functional articular cartilage: the current status

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease characterized by pain and disability. It involves all ages and 70% of people aged >65 have some degree of osteoarthritis. Natural cartilage repair is limited because chondrocyte density and metabolism are low and cartilage has no blood supply. The results of joint-preserving treatment protocols such as debridement, mosaicplasty, perichondrium transplantation and autologous chondrocyte implantation vary largely and the average long-term result is unsatisfactory. One reason for limited clinical success is that most treatments require new cartilage to be formed at the site of a defect. However, the mechanical conditions at such sites are unfavorable for repair of the original damaged cartilage. Therefore, it is unlikely that healthy cartilage would form at these locations. The most promising method to circumvent this problem is to engineer mechanically stable cartilage ex vivo and to implant that into the damaged tissue area. This review outlines the issues related to the composition and functionality of tissue-engineered cartilage. In particular, the focus will be on the parameters cell source, signaling molecules, scaffolds and mechanical stimulation. In addition, the current status of tissue engineering of cartilage will be discussed, with the focus on extracellular matrix content, structure and its functionality.

The metabolism of human mesenchymal stem cells during proliferation and differentiation

Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) reside under hypoxic conditions in vivo, between 4% and 7% oxygen. Differentiation of MSCs under hypoxic conditions results in inhibited osteogenesis, while chondrogenesis is unaffected. The reasons for these results may be associated with the inherent metabolism of the cells. The present investigation measured the oxygen consumption, glucose consumption and lactate production of MSCs during proliferation and subsequent differentiation towards the osteogenic and chondrogenic lineages. MSCs expanded under normoxia had an oxygen consumption rate of ∼98 fmol/cell/h, 75% of which was azide-sensitive, suggesting that these cells derive a significant proportion of ATP from oxidative phosphorylation in addition to glycolysis. By contrast, MSCs differentiated towards the chondrogenic lineage using pellet culture had significantly reduced oxygen consumption after 24 h in culture, falling to ∼12 fmol/cell/h after 21 days, indicating a shift towards a predominantly glycolytic metabolism. By comparison, MSCs retained an oxygen consumption rate of ∼98 fmol/cell/h over 21 days of osteogenic culture conditions, indicating that these cells had a more oxidative energy metabolism than the chondrogenic cultures. In conclusion, osteogenic and chondrogenic MSC cultures appear to adopt the balance of oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis reported for the respective mature cell phenotypes. The addition of TGF-β to chondrogenic pellet cultures significantly enhanced glycosaminoglycan accumulation, but caused no significant effect on cellular oxygen consumption. Thus, the differences between the energy metabolism of chondrogenic and osteogenic cultures may be associated with the culture conditions and not necessarily their respective differentiation.

Both superficial and deep zone articular chondrocyte subpopulations exhibit the Crabtree effect but have different basal oxygen consumption rates

In the absence of in vivo measurements, the oxygen concentration within articular cartilage is calculated from the balance between cellular oxygen consumption and mass transfer. Current estimates of the oxygen tension within articular cartilage are based on oxygen consumption data from full-depth tissue samples. However, superficial and deep cell subpopulations of articular cartilage express intrinsic metabolic differences. We test the hypothesis that the subpopulations differ with respect to their intrinsic oxygen consumption rate. Chondrocytes from the full cartilage thickness demonstrate enhanced oxygen consumption when deprived of glucose, consistent with the Crabtree phenomena. Chondrocyte subpopulations differ in the prevailing availability of oxygen and glucose, which decrease with distance from the cartilage-synovial fluid interface. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that the oxygen consumption of each subpopulation is modulated by nutrient availability, by examining the expression of the Crabtree effect. The deep cells had a greater oxygen consumption than the superficial cells (V(max) of 6.6 compared to 3.2 fmol/cell/h), consistent with our observations of mitochondrial volume (mean values 52.0 vs. 36.4 microm(3)/cell). Both populations expressed the Crabtree phenomena, with oxygen consumption increasing approximately 2.5-fold in response to glycolytic inhibition by glucose deprivation or 2-deoxyglucose. Over 90% of this increase was oligomycin-sensitive and thus accounted for by oxidative phosphorylation. The data contributes towards our understanding of chondrocyte energy metabolism and provides information valuable for the accurate calculation of the oxygen concentration that the cells experience in vivo. The work has further application to the optimisation of bioreactor design and engineered tissues.

Neural network analysis identifies scaffold properties necessary for in vitro chondrogenesis in elastin-like polypeptide biopolymer scaffolds

The successful design of biomaterial scaffolds for articular cartilage tissue engineering requires an understanding of the impact of combinations of material formulation parameters on diverse and competing functional outcomes of biomaterial performance. This study sought to explore the use of a type of unsupervised artificial network, a self-organizing map, to identify relationships between scaffold formulation parameters (crosslink density, molecular weight, and concentration) and 11 such outcomes (including mechanical properties, matrix accumulation, metabolite usage and production, and histological appearance) for scaffolds formed from crosslinked elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) hydrogels. The artificial neural network recognized patterns in functional outcomes and provided a set of relationships between ELP formulation parameters and measured outcomes. Mapping resulted in the best mean separation amongst neurons for mechanical properties and pointed to crosslink density as the strongest predictor of most outcomes, followed by ELP concentration. The map also grouped formulations together that simultaneously resulted in the highest values for matrix production, greatest changes in metabolite consumption or production, and highest histological scores, indicating that the network was able to recognize patterns amongst diverse measurement outcomes. These results demonstrated the utility of artificial neural network tools for recognizing relationships in systems with competing parameters, toward the goal of optimizing and accelerating the design of biomaterial scaffolds for articular cartilage tissue engineering.

Low oxygen reduces the modulation to an oxidative phenotype in monolayer-expanded chondrocytes

Autologous chondrocyte implantation requires a phase of in vitro cell expansion, achieved by monolayer culture under atmospheric oxygen levels. Chondrocytes reside under low oxygen conditions in situ and exhibit a glycolytic metabolism. However, oxidative phosphorylation rises progressively during culture, with concomitant reactive oxygen species production. We determine if the high oxygen environment in vitro provides the transformation stimulus. Articular chondrocytes were cultured in monolayer for up to 14 days under 2%, 5%, or 20% oxygen. Expansion under 2% and 5% oxygen reduced the rate at which the cells developed an oxidative phenotype compared to 20% oxygen. However, at 40 +/- 4 fmol cell(-1) h(-1) the oxygen consumption by chondrocytes expanded under 2% oxygen for 14 days was still 14 times the value observed for freshly isolated cells. Seventy-five to 78% of the increased oxygen consumption was accounted for by oxidative phosphorylation (oligomycin sensitive). Expansion under low oxygen also reduced cellular proliferation and 8-hydroxyguanosine release, a marker of oxidative DNA damage. However, these parameters remained elevated compared to freshly isolated cells. Thus, expansion under physiological oxygen levels reduces, but does not abolish, the induction of an oxidative energy metabolism. We conclude that simply transferring chondrocytes to low oxygen is not sufficient to either maintain or re-establish a normal energy metabolism. Furthermore, a hydrophobic polystyrene culture surface which promotes rounded cell morphology had no effect on the development of an oxidative metabolism. Although the shift towards an oxidative energy metabolism is often accompanied by morphological changes, this study does not support the hypothesis that it is driven by them.

Modeling nutrient consumptions in large flow-through bioreactors for tissue engineering

Flow-through bioreactors are utilized in tissue regeneration to ensure complete nutrient distribution and apply defined hydrodynamic stresses. The fundamental concepts in designing these bioreactors for regenerating large high aspect ratio tissues (large surface area relative to the thickness of the matrix such as skin, bladder, and cartilage) are not well defined. Further, tissue regeneration is a dynamic process where the porous characteristics change due to proliferation of cells, de novo deposition of matrix components, and degradation of the porous architecture. These changes affect the transport characteristics and there is an imminent need to understand the influence of these factors. Using computational fluid dynamic tools, changes in the pressure drop, shear stress distribution and nutrient consumption patterns during tissue regeneration were assessed in rectangular and circular reactors described by Lawrence et al. [Biotechnol Bioeng 2009;102(3):935-947]. Further, six new designs with different inlet and outlet shapes were analyzed. The fluid flow was defined by the Brinkman equation on the porous regions using the pore characteristics of 85 microm and 120 pores/mm(2). The minimum flow requirements to satisfy nutrient (oxygen and glucose) requirements for three different cell types (SMCs, chondrocytes, and hepatocytes) was evaluated using convective diffusion equation. For consumption reaction, the Michaelis-Menten rate law was used, with constants (k(m) and v(m) values) extracted from literature. Simulations were performed by varying the flow rate as well as the cell number. One of the circular reactors with semicircular inlet and outlet shape decreased (i) non-uniformity in hydrodynamic stress within the porous structure and (ii) non-uniform nutrient distribution. All cell types showed increased consumption of oxygen than glucose. Hepatocytes needed a very high flow rate relative to other cell types. Increase in cell number suggested a need for increasing the flow in circular reactors.

Oxygen consumption of chondrocytes in agarose and collagen gels: a comparative analysis

The growth of engineered cartilage tissue in vitro is often impaired by the problem of insufficient oxygen and nutrient supply to cells seeded in 3D constructs. Despite its central role in controlling most cell functions, the scaffolding material has generally been thought of only as a transport barrier and its potential active role in controlling oxygen uptake has never been addressed. In this work the role of cell-material interaction on oxygen metabolism in 3D in vitro cultures was surveyed. To this aim bovine chondrocytes, at a cell density of 400,000 and 4,000,000 cells/mL, respectively, were seeded in collagen type I and in agarose, while keeping all other culture conditions constant. A unidirectional oxygen gradient was induced in the culture through the application of a "sandwich" model and the oxygen concentration at the pericellular level was measured by phosphorescence quenching microscopy. Results show that the oxygen consumption rate is two-fold higher in agarose than in collagen, which indicates that the nature of the material strongly influences cell metabolic behaviour. Moreover, since different oxygen consumption rates are linked to different cell biosynthetic activity, our findings will prove beyond any doubt the active role played by materials in tissue regeneration.

Theoretical analysis of engineered cartilage oxygenation: influence of construct thickness and media flow rate

A novel parallel-plate bioreactor has been shown to modulate the mechanical and biochemical properties of engineered cartilage by the application of fluid-induced shear stress. Flow or perfusion bioreactors may improve tissue development via enhanced transport of nutrients or gases as well as the application of mechanical stimuli, or a combination of these factors. The goal of this study was to complement observed experimental responses to flow by simulating oxygen transport within cartilage constructs of different thicknesses (250 microm or 1 mm). Using numerical computation of convection-diffusion equations, the evaluation of the tissue oxygenation is performed. Four culture conditions are defined based on tissue thickness and flow rates ranging from 0 to approximately 25 mL min(-1). Under these experimental conditions results show a mean oxygen concentration within the tissue varying from 0.01 to 0.19 mol m(-3) as a function of the tissue thickness and the magnitude of the applied shear stress. More generally, the influence of shear stress varying (via flow rate modification) from 10(-3) to 10 dynes cm(-2) on the tissue oxygenation is studied. The influence on the results of important physical parameters such as the maximal oxygen consumption rate of cells is discussed. Lastly, the importance of oxygen concentration in the lower chamber and its relevance to tissue oxygenation are highlighted by the model results.

Effects of low glucose concentrations on oxygen consumption rates of intervertebral disc cells

STUDY DESIGN

Investigation of the effects of low glucose concentrations on the oxygen consumption rates of intervertebral disc cells.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the oxygen consumption rate of porcine anulus fibrosus (AF) cells at different glucose concentrations and to examine the differences in the oxygen consumption rate between AF and nucleus pulposus (NP) cells at different glucose levels.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

Poor nutrient supply has been suggested as a potential mechanism for degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD). Distribution of nutrients in the IVD is strongly dependent on transport properties of the tissue and cellular metabolic rates. Previous studies have shown dependence of oxygen consumption rate of IVD cells on oxygen tension, pH levels, and glucose levels outside the physiologic range. However, the oxygen consumption rate of AF cells at in vivo glucose levels has not been investigated.

METHODS

IVD cells were isolated from the outer AF and NP of 4- to 5-month-old porcine lumbar discs. The changes in oxygen tension were recorded when cells were cultured in sealed metabolism chamber. The oxygen consumption rate of cells was determined by theoretical curve fitting using the Michaelis-Menten equation.

RESULTS

The outer AF cells cultured in high glucose medium (25 mmol/L) exhibited the lowest oxygen consumption rate, whereas no significant differences in oxygen consumption rates were found among outer AF cells cultured at physiologic glucose levels (i.e., 1 mmol/L, 2.5 mmol/L, 5 mmol/L). The oxygen consumption rate of NP cells was significantly greater than that of outer AF cells.

CONCLUSION

Since the oxygen consumption rates determined in this study are comparable to the findings in the literature, this study has developed a new alternative method for determining oxygen consumption rate. The oxygen consumption rates of IVD cells reported in this study will be valuable for theoretically predicting local oxygen concentrations in IVD, which can provide a better understanding of transport of oxygen in the discs.

The PTHrP-Ihh feedback loop in the embryonic growth plate allows PTHrP to control hypertrophy and Ihh to regulate proliferation

Growth plate and long bone development is governed by biochemical signaling pathways of which the PTHrP-Ihh system is the best known. Other factors, such as BMPs, FGFs and mechanical loading, may interact with this system. This study aims at elucidating the relative importance of PTHrP and Ihh for controlling proliferation, and hypertrophy in fetal growth plate cartilage. We assessed the question why reduced Ihh expression leads to more pronounced effects on the number of non-hypertrophic cells and total bone formation, compared to PTHrP down-regulation. Using few basic equations, constituted from literature data, this paper shows how the PTHrP-Ihh feedback system can control different aspects of tissue differentiation at distinct locations. In particular, it is shown that (mechanical or biochemical) perturbations will affect proliferation via Ihh-related parameters, whereas changes in PTHrP-related parameters selectively interact with hypertrophy. This is contra-intuitive, since PTHrP acts to keep cells proliferating. In this context, the critical PTHrP level for keeping cells proliferating has been reconsidered. In addition, an explanation is provided for the aforementioned difference in effect between reduced Ihh and PTHrP expression.

Dynamic compression augments interstitial transport of a glucose-like solute in articular cartilage

Solute transport through the extracellular matrix is essential for cellular activities in articular cartilage. Increased solute transport via fluid convection may be a mechanism by which dynamic compression stimulates chondrocyte metabolism. However, loading conditions that optimally augment transport likely vary for different solutes. To investigate effects of dynamic loading on transport of a bioactive solute, triangular mechanical loading waveforms were applied to cartilage explants disks while interstitial transport of a fluorescent glucose analog was monitored. Peak-to-peak compression amplitudes varied from 5-50% and frequencies varied from 0.0006-0.1 Hz to alter the spatial distribution and magnitude of oscillatory fluid flow. Solute transport was quantified by monitoring accumulation of fluorescence in a saline bath circulated around the explant. Individual explants were subjected to a series of compression protocols, so that effects of loading on solute desorption could be observed directly. Maximum increases in solute transport were obtained with 10-20% compression amplitudes at 0.1 Hz; similar loading protocols were previously found to stimulate chondrocyte metabolism in vitro. Results therefore support hypotheses relating to increased solute transport as a mediator of the cartilage biological response to dynamic compression, and may have application in mechanical conditioning of cartilage constructs for tissue engineering.