Effects of Hydrostatic Pressure on Meniscus Cell-Seeded PLLA Scaffolds

Cartilage explant studies have shown that mechanical stimuli increase extracellular matrix (ECM) expression and synthesis in vitro [1]. The use of hydrostatic pressure (HP), as a loading regimen, is of particular interest as it causes no cellular deformation. This may be useful in tissue engineering studies where scaffolds with limited mechanical integrity need to withstand intermittent loading conditions. Studies investigating the effect of HP on 3-D cultures of chondrocytes have met with modest success [2, 3]; however literature on meniscal fibrochondrocytes is lacking.