An Osteocyte 3D Culture System to Study Osteochondral Strains and Fluid Flow in an ex vivo Model

摘要

We demonstrated that an MMP-degradable hydrogel facilitates osteocyte differentiation, cell-cell junctions, and mineralization. Furthermore, our bilayer hydrogel under dynamic compression is a promising ex vivo model that will ultimately allow us to independently manipulate physiological levels of strain and fluid flow. Ongoing studies are (1) predicting and validating the strain and fluid flow under different loading conditions using Finite Element Analysis and experiments. (2) elucidating effects of healthy versus osteoarthritic loading conditions, and (3) investigating the effect of fluid flow on Prostaglandin E2 synthesis.