Disuse atrophy of articular cartilage can be restored by mechanical reloading in mice.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Moderate mechanical stress generated by normal joint loading and movements helps maintain the health of articular cartilage. Despite growing interest in the pathogenesis of cartilage degeneration caused by reduced mechanical stress, its reversibility by mechanical reloading is less understood. This study aimed to investigate the response of articular cartilage exposed to mechanical reloading after unloading in vivo and in vitro.

Methods and results

Disuse atrophy was induced in the knee joint cartilage of adult mice through hindlimb unloading by tail suspension. For in vivo experiments, mice were subjected to reloading with or without daily exercise intervention or surgical destabilization of the knee joint. Microcomputed tomography and histomorphometric analyses

SUBMITTER: Nomura M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11436453 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature