Articular cartilage is the load bearing soft tissue of diarthrodial joints, and mechanical loading maintains the integrity of the tissue. The predominant extracellular matrix constituents, proteoglycans and collagen, allow cartilage to support the high compressive and tensile loads experienced in diurnal loading. Our laboratory has been successful in cultivating engineered cartilage constructs with a compressive equilibrium modulus and glycosaminglycan (GAG) content near native values. Many approaches to cultivating engineered cartilage have been limited by low collagen production in vitro, an impediment for attaining native functional load-bearing properties.
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