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Effects of mixing intensity on tissue‐engineered cartilage
Author(s) -
Gooch K. J.,
Kwon J. H.,
Blunk T.,
Langer R.,
Freed L. E.,
VunjakNovakovic G.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0290(20000220)72:4<402::aid-bit1002>3.0.co;2-q
Subject(s) - laboratory flask , cartilage , mixing (physics) , extracellular matrix , chemistry , biophysics , matrix (chemical analysis) , chondrocyte , tissue engineering , glycosaminoglycan , in vitro , microbiology and biotechnology , chemical engineering , biomedical engineering , anatomy , chromatography , biochemistry , biology , medicine , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
Mechanical forces regulate the structure and function of many tissues in vivo; recent results indicate that the mechanical environment can decisively influence the development of engineered tissues cultured in vitro. To investigate the effects of the hydrodynamic environment on tissue‐engineered cartilage, primary bovine calf chondrocytes were seeded on fibrous polyglycolic acid meshes and cultured in spinner flasks either statically or at one of nine different turbulent mixing intensities. In medium from unmixed flasks, CO 2 accumulated and O 2 was depleted, whereas in medium from mixed flasks the concentrations of both gases approached their equilibrium values. Relative to constructs exposed to nonmixed conditions, constructs exposed to mixing contained higher fractions of collagen, synthesized and released more GAG, but contained lower fractions of GAG. Across the wide range of mixing intensities investigated, the presence or absence of mixing, but not the intensity of the mixing, was the primary determinant of the GAG and collagen content in the constructs. The all‐or‐none nature of these responses may provide insight into the mechanism(s) by which engineered cartilage perceives changes in its hydrodynamic environment and responds by modifying extracellular matrix production and release. 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 72: 402–407, 2001