Assessment of biomechanical and biochemical property of regenerated cartilage by Diffusion-MRI

摘要

Applying tissue-engineered cartilage in a clinical setting requires an non-invasive evaluation method to assess biomechanical property as well as biochemical property. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) represents potential approach to assess material properties of the engineered cartilage. In this study, we attempt to establish the non-invasive assessment method of the tissue maturation of the engineered cartilage using quantitative MRI. To reconstruct cartilaginous tissue, bovine chondrocytes were embedded in agarose gel and cultured in vitro up to 4weeks. MRI-derived parameters (relaxation time: T1, T2; diffusion coefficient: D) were measured. After the MRI experiments, equilibrium Young's moduli were determined from stress relaxation tests and the sulfated glycosaminglycan (sGAG) concentration was measured by DMMB assay. As a result, the diffusing coefficient showed a highest correlation with the equilibrium Young's modulus and sGAG concentration. In conclusion, MRI measurements can be useful predictors of the degree of cartilaginous tissue formation.