压缩刺激影响关节软骨细胞代谢和力学特性的研究进展

Research progress of the effects of compression stimulation on the metabolism of articular chondrocytes and mechanical properties

在日常生活中，膝关节在站立、行走、跑步和其他日常活动时受到不断的机械刺激。在膝关节中，基质结构的高含水量（70％～80％）使关节软骨可以经受住复杂的压缩、拉伸和剪切应力。力学的刺激不仅在四肢软骨下骨的形成中调节软骨的稳定，而且在成人软骨的修复和骨骼重塑方面也发挥着重要的作用。软骨体外培养的临床观察表明：力学刺激可以调节体外培养软骨细胞的合成和降解、影响改变组织的结构，在组织形态和细胞外基质新陈代谢方面有着重要的影响。这些信息意味着在生理的力学加载条件下也许是对膝关节功能的适当维护所必需的。

Articular cartilages endure a variety of dynamic stresses in a complex physiological environment. As the main force of normal human articular movement, the pressure can change the biological and mechanical properties of chondrocytes, including changes in the stress and strain of articular cartilage tissues, hydrostatic pressure, interstitial fluid flow, flow energy, osmotic pressure, changes of transferring between tissues and cell deformations and so on. Because of the specificity of the mechanical environment, the changes of the mechanical properties of chondrocytes will have an effect on the physiological functions of articular cartilages. It is difficult for articular cartilage injuries caused by many factors to repair themselves, which has brought great difficulties to the clinical treatment. There are many traditional methods of repairing cartilage defects clinically, while some shortcomings exist. Thanks to the development of tissue engineering technology, there is a new idea and method for the regeneration and repair of articular cartilage defects. Scaffold materials are mainly utilized to provide a space structure for the proliferation and matrix secretion of chondrocytes, and a kind of structure is formed similar to normal cartilage tissues to transplant and repair articular cartilage defects. Many factors get involved in the construction of tissue-engineered cartilages with good functions, such as seed cells, scaffold materials, culture conditions and so on, among which mechanical stimulation has a particularly important effect on the metabolism of articular cartilage matrixes and their mechanical properties. Therefore, an intensive study of the mechanical properties of chondrocytes will further clarify a series of processes needed to maintain normal physiological functions, such as the stress conditions and responses. There will be positive significance for the understanding of the biological properties of chondrocytes, the effects of compression stimulation on the mechanical properties of cells and the biological advantages as tissue-engineered cartilage seed cells.