Biomechanics of Chondrocytes and Chondrons in Healthy Conditions and Osteoarthritis: A Review of the Mechanical Characterisations at the Microscale
Sofia Pettenuzzo,
Alessandro Arduino,
Elisa Belluzzi,
Assunta Pozzuoli,
Chiara Giulia Fontanella,
Pietro Ruggieri,
Valentina Salomoni,
Carmelo Majorana,
Alice Berardo
Affiliations
Sofia Pettenuzzo
Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
Alessandro Arduino
Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
Elisa Belluzzi
Musculoskeletal Pathology and Oncology Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova (DiSCOG), Via Giustiniani 3, 35128 Padova, Italy
Assunta Pozzuoli
Musculoskeletal Pathology and Oncology Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova (DiSCOG), Via Giustiniani 3, 35128 Padova, Italy
Chiara Giulia Fontanella
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
Pietro Ruggieri
Orthopedics and Orthopedic Oncology, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova (DiSCOG), 35128 Padova, Italy
Valentina Salomoni
Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
Carmelo Majorana
Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
Alice Berardo
Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
Biomechanical studies are expanding across a variety of fields, from biomedicine to biomedical engineering. From the molecular to the system level, mechanical stimuli are crucial regulators of the development of organs and tissues, their growth and related processes such as remodelling, regeneration or disease. When dealing with cell mechanics, various experimental techniques have been developed to analyse the passive response of cells; however, cell variability and the extraction process, complex experimental procedures and different models and assumptions may affect the resulting mechanical properties. For these purposes, this review was aimed at collecting the available literature focused on experimental chondrocyte and chondron biomechanics with direct connection to their biochemical functions and activities, in order to point out important information regarding the planning of an experimental test or a comparison with the available results. In particular, this review highlighted (i) the most common experimental techniques used, (ii) the results and models adopted by different authors, (iii) a critical perspective on features that could affect the results and finally (iv) the quantification of structural and mechanical changes due to a degenerative pathology such as osteoarthritis.
