Nguyen Bac V, Wang Qiguang, Kuiper Nicola J, El Haj Alicia J, Thomas Colin R, Zhang Zhibing
School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
Biotechnol Lett. 2009 Jun;31(6):803-9. doi: 10.1007/s10529-009-9939-y. Epub 2009 Feb 11.
The chondron in articular cartilage includes the chondrocyte and its surrounding pericellular matrix (PCM). Single chondrocytes and chondrons were compressed between two parallel surfaces by a micromanipulation technique to investigate their biomechanical properties and to discover the mechanical significance of the PCM. The force imposed on the cells was measured directly during deformation at various compression speeds and deformations up to cell rupture. When the deformation at the end of compression was 50%, relaxation showed that the cells were viscoelastic, but this viscoelasticity was generally insignificant at 30% deformation or lower. When the deformation was 70%, the cells had deformed plastically. Chondrons ruptured at a mean deformation of 85 +/- 1%, whilst chondrocytes ruptured at a mean deformation of 78 +/- 1%. Chondrons were generally stiffer than chondrocytes and showed less viscoelastic behaviour than chondrocytes. Thus, the PCM significantly influences the mechanical properties of the cells.
关节软骨中的软骨单位包括软骨细胞及其周围的细胞周基质（PCM）。采用微操纵技术将单个软骨细胞和软骨单位在两个平行表面之间进行压缩，以研究它们的生物力学特性，并发现细胞周基质的力学意义。在不同压缩速度和直至细胞破裂的变形过程中，直接测量施加在细胞上的力。当压缩结束时的变形为50%时，松弛表明细胞具有粘弹性，但这种粘弹性在30%或更低的变形时通常不明显。当变形为70%时，细胞发生了塑性变形。软骨单位在平均变形85±1%时破裂，而软骨细胞在平均变形78±1%时破裂。软骨单位通常比软骨细胞更硬，并且比软骨细胞表现出更少的粘弹性行为。因此，细胞周基质显著影响细胞的力学特性。
