Mechanobiology of the articular chondrocyte

Normal articular cartilage (AC) functions are maintained by a sole cell type known as the chondrocyte. Mechanical forces within AC dictate many kinds of chondrocyte behaviors including adhesion, migration, signaling pathway, and phenotype. The biomechanical microenvironment, as an important mechanoregulator in variable physiological processes, regulates the homeostatic balance of chondrocytes. Chondrocytes perceive and respond to mechanical stimuli through mechanoreceptors and mechanosensitive ion channels, which regulate cell processes critical to osteoarthritis (OA). This chapter describes the extracellular matrix (ECM) microenvironment from the perspective of mechanics, such as the physical properties of the pericellular matrix (PCM); introduces the major techniques to study cell mechanics, mechanoregulating biomaterial systems, and the mechanobiological behavior of chondrocytes in sensing the mechanical microenvironment; and discusses TRPV4/PIEZO channel-mediated mechanotransduction underlying chondrocyte sensing of mechanical stimuli. This chapter shed lights on the development of cell-instructive biomaterial that controls cellular responses and promotes functional cartilage tissue engineering.