The Knee Meniscus: Structure-Function, Pathophysiology, Current Repair Techniques, and Prospects for Regeneration
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INVESTIGATION OF MOLECULAR PARAMETERS ON CARTILAGE REGENERATION IN EXPERIMENTAL MODELS OF CARTILAGE DEFECTS AND OSTEOARTHRITIS By ELEFTHERIOS A. MAKRIS M.D. (Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece) 2009 DISSERTATION Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Biomedical Engineering Research in the OFFICES OF GRADUATE STUDIES of the UNIVERSITY OF THESSALY, GREECE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS, USA i Institutional Repository - Library & Information Centre - University of Thessaly 09/12/2017 09:28:15 EET - 137.108.70.7 Fall 08 Eleftherios Makris March 2014 Biomedical Engineering INVESTIGATION OF MOLECULAR PARAMETERS ON CARTILAGE REGENERATION IN EXPERIMENTAL MODELS OF CARTILAGE DEFECTS AND OSTEOARTHRITIS ABSTRACT Articular cartilage and fibrocartilage have limited abilities to self-repair following disease- or injury-induced degradation. With such cartilages providing the critical roles of protecting the osseous features of the knee joint and ensuring smooth, stable joint articulation, it is therefore critical that treatment modalities are created to promote the repair and/or regeneration of these tissues. A promising novel treatment modality comes from the potential of tissue engineered cartilage. While much progress has been recently made toward achieving engineered articular cartilage and fibrocartilage with compressive properties on par with native tissue values, their tensile properties still remain far behind. It is, therefore, critical that novel treatments be established to generate robust neotissue to address the approximately 46.4 million individuals affected by arthritis in the United States alone. Motivated by the potential of tissue engineering, this thesis had three global objectives: 1) to investigate novel molecular pathways toward regenerating articular cartilage in in vitro and in vivo experimental models of cartilage defects and osteoarthritis, 2) to develop and optimize treatment modalities toward engineering neocartilage of clinical applicability, and 3) to promote neotissue maturation and foster integration between self-assembled neocartilage and native tissue. Toward achieving these goals, this thesis sought to tailor the use of exogenous agents to ii Institutional Repository - Library & Information Centre - University of Thessaly 09/12/2017 09:28:15 EET - 137.108.70.7 promote native articular cartilage and fibrocartilage organization in engineered tissues. To begin, a treatment regimen consisting of copper and hydroxylysine was utilized to enhance the collagen crosslink content of self-assembled neocartilage constructs. A hypoxia treatment regimen was also investigated with the similar goal of enhancing the crosslink content and, therefore, the functional properties of engineered cartilage. Given the promising correlation between increased collagen crosslink content and neotissue tensile properties, a more direct approach to increase these crosslinks was established via application of the exogenous agent lysyl oxidase (LOX) to further enhance neotissue functional properties. Other studies in this thesis focused on developing approaches for enhancing the collagen content and organization of the engineered tissues that, when combined with the novel collagen crosslinking approaches, would potentially result in mature engineered tissues capable of repairing cartilage defects in experimental (animal) models. Specifically, two agents known to modulate intracellular Ca2+ signaling (digoxin and adenosine triphosphate) were investigated as an alternative means to improve matrix content and biomechanical properties of neocartilage through promoting both collagen enhancement and collagen crosslinking. In addition, similar studies were focused on optimizing a treatment regimen consisting of the biophysical agent chondroitinase-ABC (C-ABC) and the biochemical agent transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF- β1) to enhance the functional properties of self-assembled neofibrocartilage constructs. Biomechanical stimulation in the form of passive axial compressive loading was also examined to aid in further driving in vitro development of self-assembled neofibrocartilage in an organized, shape-specific manner. An additional study investigated the possibility of alternative primary cell sources from the ankle joint as a superior cell source for generating tissue-specific self- assembled neocartilage for ankle joint cartilage defects. iii Institutional Repository - Library & Information Centre - University of Thessaly 09/12/2017 09:28:15 EET - 137.108.70.7 Finally, this thesis investigated the potential of the exogenously applied LOX molecular mechanism to promote integration between neocartilage and native tissue. An initial study investigated the ability of LOX to promote integration between neocartilage and native articular cartilage. Promising results lead to combining LOX with C-ABC and TGF-β1 with the goal of inducing simultaneous neofibrocartilage maturation and integration. Specifically, this novel combination of stimuli was first applied to an in vitro model of integration, and then on an experimental animal model of integration to investigate the ability of the in vivo environment to further promote such integration. Overall, the series of studies presented in this thesis represent various novel and potentially clinically significant molecular strategies to enhance the functional properties of a spectrum of collagen-rich tissues. Specifically, copper, endogenous LOX enhancement though hypoxia, and exogenous LOX application were all found to improve the mechanical properties of engineered cartilage, demonstrating the ability of enhancing collagen crosslinks to promote the development of mechanically robust, biomimetic neotissues. Further, agents such as digoxin, adenosine triphosphate, C-ABC, TGF-β1, and static weight application were all found to exhibit significant abilities toward promoting collagen enhancement and collagen crosslinking in neotissues. Finally, exogenous LOX applied alone and in combination with C-ABC and TGF-β1 was found to foster in vitro and in vivo tissue maturation and integration, illustrating the promise of this novel combination of agents to promote in vivo tissue regeneration. Taken together, these studies provide an overview of several exciting and promising technologies to 1) increase the functional properties of both native and engineered tissues, and 2) to enhance their in vivo integration potential, highlighting the tremendous potential of such agents toward developing clinically robust neotissues to repair and/or replace those damaged by injury or disease. iv Institutional Repository - Library & Information Centre - University of Thessaly 09/12/2017 09:28:15 EET - 137.108.70.7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank my dissertation committee members, including Prof. Konstantinos Malizos, Prof. Kyriacos A. Athanasiou, Prof. Aspasia Tsezou, and Prof. Grigoris Haidemenopoulos, for their collective mentoring and great support. I would also like to thank my fellow Athanasiou lab members; my work would not have been possible with out the tremendous foundation and contributions of my predecessors, or the advice and support of those presently in the lab. I would especially like to thank Dr. Regina F. MacBarb, whose continued collaboration has been instrumental to my graduate work and has resulted in numerous high impact publications. In addition, I would also like to thank Dr. Donald Responte and Dr. Nikolaos Paschos for their collaboration, time, and advice. Beyond the Athanasiou lab, I am very grateful to Dr. Jerry Hu, whose enthusiasm and mentoring has been a tremendous help to me. I would also like to extend remarkable thanks to the entire Orthopedic Department of University Hospital of Larisa and UC Davis Biomedical Engineering Department staff for all of their guidance and support. I am also very grateful for the financial support of NIH grants supported me all these years. Last but not least, I would like to thank my family and friends, who have provided me with immeasurable encouragement and support. To my dad (Athanasios Makris) mom (Archontia Makri), and my brother (Stergios Makris), who have always believed in me and continually provide me with the love, strength, and courage necessary to always push forward toward achieving my goals. I would not have done any big step without them and I am blessed to have such a wonderful family. I am also grateful for all my friends, but I would like to specially thank my dear friend Tasos (Anastasios Mantikas). v Institutional Repository - Library & Information Centre - University of Thessaly 09/12/2017 09:28:15 EET - 137.108.70.7 Finally and most importantly, I would like to sincerely thank my PhD advisors Professors Kyriacos A. Athanasiou and Konstantinos N. Malizos, both leaders in their fields, whose excellence in research and science was always for me a great example to mimic and a continues challenge to reach. Their guidance, mentorship, and unswerving belief and support to me over the past four years are unparalleled. vi Institutional Repository - Library & Information Centre - University of Thessaly 09/12/2017 09:28:15 EET - 137.108.70.7 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................................