Engineered Cartilage Generated by Nasal Chondrocytes Is Responsive to Physical Forces Resembling Joint Loading.

The article presents a study on whether engineered cartilage generated by nasal chondrocytes (ECN) is responsive to different regimens of loading associated with joint kinematics and previously shown to be stimulatory of engineered cartilage generated by articular chondrocytes (ECA). The study expanded and cultured human nasal and articular chondrocytes from 5 individuals for two weeks. It was found that prior to loading, ECN constructs contained significantly higher amounts of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and type II collagen compared with ECA constructs.