Articular cartilage is an avascular, aneural, and alymphatic tissue with a structure consisting of a superficial, a middle and a deep zone, overlie a calcified zone at the cartilage border between. Each zone has biological and mechanical properties. Self-repair of damaged cartilage seldom if ever occurs, and joint injuries that harm cartilage surfaces often result in osteoarthritis. This has prompted researchers to explore diverse approaches to cartilage regeneration. The superficial zone shows the highest cellularity and the lowest matrix density. Cartilage cells (chondrocytes) residing in the superficial zone had been thought to be a subpopulation of chondrocytes. However, our laboratory identified a second population of cells that were distinguishable from chondrocytes based on their clonogenicity, multipotency, migratory activity, higher proliferate rate and substantial morphological differences. These cells later proved to be chondrogenic progenitor cells (CPCs). Our continuing studies have shown that CPCs are less chondrogenic than normal chondrocytes and their function is to protect the cartilage surface rather than to regenerate cartilage matrix as previously supposed. In addition, we found evidence to suggest that CPCs act as pro-inflammatory cells in the context of cartilage injury. For these reasons, we undertook a more comprehensive comparison of the phenotypic differences between CPCs and normal chondrocytes and between CPCs and joint cells (tissue synoviocytes from the joint capsule and cells present in synovial fluid) which have been shown to be play roles in joint inflammation. Gene expression microarray analysis of >25,000 genes revealed that the overall pattern of gene expression in CPCs was distinct from normal chondrocytes, but closely related to synoviocytes and synovial fluid cells. Analysis of specific genes by quantitative PCR (qPCR) showed profound differences between CPCs and normal chondrocytes in terms of cartilage matrix gene expression (Collagen Type ІІ, Aggrecan, Link Protein and COMP) and pro-inflammatory gene expression (IL6, IL8, CCL2 and CXCL12). In contrast, the pattern of CPC gene expression closely resembled. Sulfated glycosaminoglycan assays revealed that cartilage matrix deposition by CPCs, as well as synoviocytes and synovial fluid cells, was significantly inferior to normal chondrocytes. However, chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation assays, showed no significant differences among the four cell types. In addition to establishing that CPCs are distinct from chondrocytes, this work suggests significant revisions to our understanding of CPC function in cartilage. The weak chondrogenic ability and higher expression of inflammatory cytokines, suggests these cells don't play a regenerative role as previously thought. On the other, we found evidence that CPCs may form a protective layer on the top of the injured cartilage surfaces, preventing further cartilage injury. In vivo studies are needed to fully elucidate the significance of these roles in cartilage health and disease.

Articular cartilage functions to maintain joint mobility. The loss of healthy, functional articular cartilage due to osteoarthritis or injury can severely compromise quality of life. To address this issue, cartilage tissue engineering approaches are currently in development. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs) hold much promise as an alternative cell source for cartilage tissue engineering. While previous studies have established that MPCs from humans and multiple other species undergo in vitro chondrogenic differentiation, additional research is needed to define conditions that will enhance MPC differentiation, increase matrix production by differentiating cultures, and support development of functional tissue-engineered cartilage constructs. Mechanical loading may be an important factor regulating chondrogenic differentiation of MPCs and cartilage matrix formation by chondrogenic MPCs. This thesis work evaluated the influence of oscillatory unconfined compressive mechanical loading on in vitro MPC chondrogenic activity and biosynthesis within hydrogel suspension. Loading was conducted using MPCs cultured in media supplements supporting chondrogenic differentiation. Possible interactions between the number of days in chondrogenic media preceding loading initiation and the ability of the MPC culture to respond to mechanical stimulation were explored in two different loading studies. The first loading study investigated the effects of 3 hour periods of daily oscillatory mechanical stimulation on subsequent chondrogenic activity, where chondrogenic activity represented an assessment of cartilage matrix production by differentiating MPCs. This study found that oscillatory compression of MPCs initiated during the first seven days of culture did not enhance chondrogenic activity above the level supported by media supplements alone. The second loading study evaluated changes in biosynthesis during a single 20 hour period of oscillatory mechanical stimulation to assess mechanoresponsiveness of the MPC cultures. This study found that MPCs modulated proteoglycan and protein synthesis in a culture time-dependent and frequency-dependent manner upon application of oscillatory compression. Together the two loading studies provide an assessment of dynamic compressive mechanical loading influences on MPC cultures undergoing chondrogenic differentiation. The information gained through in vitro studies of differentiating MPC cultures will increase basic knowledge about progenitor cells and may also prove valuable in guiding the future development of cartilage tissue engineering approaches.

Understanding the molecular networks that maintain articular cartilage and regulate chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are important prerequisites for the improvement of cartilage repair strategies. The first study within this thesis demonstrates that equine cord blood-derived MSCs induced towards a chondrogenic phenotype showed significantly increased miR-140 expression from day 0 to day 14, which was accompanied by decreased expression of previously identified miR-140 targets; ADAMTS-5 and CXCL12. The second study shows that in vitro chondrogenesis on fibronectin coated-PTFE inserts results in more homogeneous hyaline-like cartilage with an increased number of differentiated cells compared with pellet cultures. Finally, the expression of miR-140, miR-9, miR-155 and miR-146a was investigated in an in vitro model of osteoarthritis and suggests a possible role for miR-146a. These results suggest that microRNAs may be useful for directing or enhancing eCB-MSC chondrogenic differentiation and for developing novel biomarker panels of in vivo joint health. / Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation; Equine Guelph; Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation; BioE.

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Focal damage to cartilage sustained in serious joint injuries typically goes unrepaired and may progress to post-traumatic osteoarthritis. However, in a bovine explant model we found that cartilage damage provoked the emergence of highly migratory cells that homed to the site of injury and appeared to re-populate dead zones. We hypothesized that the migrating population were chondrogenic progenitor cells engaged in cartilage repair. The surfaces of bovine osteochondral explants injured by blunt impact were serially imaged to follow cell migration. Migrating cells harvested from cartilage surfaces were tested for clonogenic, side population, chemotactic activities and multipotency in in vitro assays. Gene expression in migrating cells was evaluated by microarray and their potential for spontaneous cartilage regeneration was assessed in a chondral defect model. Migrating cells emerged from superficial zone cartilage and efficiently repopulated areas where chondrocyte death had occurred. In confocal examination with high magnification, we could clearly observe the morphology of elongated progenitor cells which were migrating toward cartilage defect area and these cells were distinguishable from round chondrocytes. The cells were also activated to migrate in cartilage defect model. Most migrated cells in fibrin were morphologically elongated and a few cells were differentiating to chondrocyte-like cells with the deposit of proteoglycans. These cells proved to be highly clonogenic and capable of chondrogenesis and osteogenesis, but not adipogenesis. They were more active in chemotaxis assays than chondrocytes, showed a significantly larger side population, and over-expressed progenitor cell markers and genes involved in migration, chemotaxis, and proliferation. To active migration of chondrogenic progenitor cells (CPCs) short-term enzymatic method was used around edge of cartilage defect. Surprisingly, CPCs migrated into fibrin defect and were differentiating into chondrocytes with abundant deposit of proteoglycans. This result strongly supports that progenitor cells are activated in traumatic cartilage injury and have great potential for cartilage repair. In conclusion, migrating cells on injured explant surfaces are chondrogenic progenitors from the superficial zone that were activated by cartilage damage to attempt repair. Facilitating this endogenous process could allow repair of focal defects that would otherwise progress to post-traumatic osteoarthritis.

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In the field of regenerative medicine, regeneration of cartilage defects (caused either by injury or age-related degeneration) has become a widely discussed topic. Nanofibrous scaffolds provide a suitable environment for cell adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, and also for the local involvement of bioactive substances. Nanofibrous scaffolds mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) of hyaline cartilage. These scaffolds are seeded with autologous chondrocytes. After having been isolated from the patient, the cells must be cultivated in vitro in order to obtain a sufficient amount of chondrocytes. Scaffolds with cultivated chondrocytes are later implanted back into the pacient. Chondrocytes, however, when grown on a 2D tissue culture plastic rapidly de-differentiate and thus lose the ability to synthesize ECM molecules. The aim of the work was modulation of chondrogenic differentiation medium through finding the ideal concentration of chondrogenic supplements, composed of L-ascorbate-2-phosphate (A2P) and dexamethasone (DEX), in the culture of primary chondrocytes seeded on a nanofibrous polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold. The effect of different concentrations of the chondrogenic supplements on chondrocyte adhesion to the scaffold and their proliferation and differentiation was studied. The influence...