PARAMETRIC FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF PHYSICAL STIMULI RESULTING FROM MECHANICAL STIMULATION OF TISSUE ENGINEERED CARTILAGE

摘要

The avascular nature of cartilage results in its limited inability to repair itself upon injury. As a result numerous approaches are being investigated as potential therapies for repair, including tissue engineering strategies. In addition, due to the low density of chondrocytes and the characteristic de-differentiation of the cells when expanded in monolayer [1], other cell types are being investigated as a source for cartilage repair as well. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which have been shown to differentiate into cells of several lineages including chondrocytes, osteoblasts and adipocytes [2], are being explored as a potential cell type for the regeneration of articular cartilage tissue [3,4].