New understanding of the complex structure of knee menisci: Implications for injury risk and repair potential for athletes

Rattner, J. B.; Matyas, John R.; Barclay, Leona; Holowaychuk, S.; Sciore, Paul; Lo, Ian K.Y.; Shrive, Nigel G.; Frank, Cyril B.; Achari, Yamini; Hart, David A.

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.01073.x

Cited by 47 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(28 reference statements)

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“…Clamped menisci maintained size and shape while developing circumferential fibers throughout the entire meniscus and radial morphologies that varied from the outer to the inner portion of the meniscus, similar to native tissue (Aspden et al, 1985;Kambic and McDevitt, 2005;Petersen and Tillmann, 1998;Rattner et al, 2011;Vanderploeg et al, 2012). This is the first study to our knowledge, to demonstrate development of native-like radial fibers in tissue engineered meniscus.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…Further, it has been reported native menisci (independent of species, age, or sex) organize fibrils into $ 5-10 μm core bundles which group together to form the larger collagen fibers commonly seen in meniscal sections (Rattner et al, 2011). In this study, the smallest collagen fiber diameter in clamped menisci (found using the entire span of the rotated FFT histogram) increased from 2 μm to 10 μm by 2 weeks of culture, and remained at 10 μm through 8 weeks (data not shown).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Collagen organization is also fundamental to the distribution of complex loads of the knee (Kawamura et al, 2003;Messner and Gao, 1998). Native menisci consist largely of circumferentially aligned collagen bundles anchored by perpendicular radial tie-fibers (Kambic and McDevitt, 2005;Petersen and Tillmann, 1998;Rattner et al, 2011). This organization results in anisotropic properties, with the circumferential tensile modulus 3-10 times larger than the radial modulus (Makris et al, 2011;Tissakht and Ahmed, 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Induction of fiber alignment and mechanical anisotropy in tissue engineered menisci with mechanical anchoring

Puetzer

Koo

Bonassar

2015

Journal of Biomechanics

131

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This study investigated the effect of mechanical anchoring on the development of fiber organization and anisotropy in anatomically shaped tissue engineered menisci. Bovine meniscal fibrochondrocytes were mixed with collagen and injected into molds designed to produce meniscus implants with 12 mm extensions at each horn. After a day of static culture, 10 and 20mg/ml collagen menisci were either clamped or unclamped and cultured for up to 8 weeks. Clamped menisci were anchored in culture trays throughout culture to mimic the native meniscus horn attachment sites, restrict contraction circumferentially, and encourage circumferential alignment. Clamped menisci retained their size and shape, and by 8 weeks developed circumferential and radial fiber organization that resembled native meniscus. Clamping also increased collagen accumulation and improved mechanical properties compared to unclamped menisci. Enhanced organization in clamped menisci was further reflected in the development of anisotropic tensile properties, with 2-3 fold higher circumferential moduli compared to radial moduli, a similar ratio to native meniscus. Ten and 20mg/ml clamped menisci had similar levels of organization, with 20mg/ml menisci producing larger diameter fibers and significantly better mechanical properties. Collectively, these data demonstrate the benefit of using bio-inspired mechanical boundary conditions to drive the formation of a highly organized collagen fiber network.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Induction of fiber alignment and mechanical anisotropy in tissue engineered menisci with mechanical anchoring

Puetzer

Koo

Bonassar

2015

Journal of Biomechanics

131

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“…Morphological characterization of RTFs, first detailed by Skaggs, et al , indicate that they are thin and numerous in the anterior region of the meniscus, and posteriorly become thicker and longer, reaching into the inner one third of the tissue [3]. Serial sections of menisci further show that RTFs generate a unique three-dimensional network within the tissue, with RTFs extending into continuous sheets that weave between the circumferential collagen bundles [6,7]. Meniscal specimens that have a greater density of RTFs have higher tensile properties in the radial direction, suggesting that RTFs contribute to the overall mechanical function of the tissue [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanical function near defects in an aligned nanofiber composite is preserved by inclusion of disorganized layers: Insight into meniscus structure and function

et al. 2017

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The meniscus is comprised of circumferentially aligned fibers that resist the tensile forces within the meniscus (i.e., hoop stress) that develop during loading of the knee. Although these circumferential fibers are severed by radial meniscal tears, tibial contact stresses do not increase until the tear reaches ~90% of the meniscus width, suggesting that the severed circumferential fibers still bear load and maintain the mechanical functionality of the meniscus. Recent data demonstrates that the interfibrillar matrix can transfer strain energy to disconnected fibrils in tendon fascicles. In the meniscus, interdigitating radial tie fibers, which function to stabilize and bind the circumferential fibers together, are hypothesized to function in a similar manner by transmitting load to severed circumferential fibers near a radial tear. To test this hypothesis, we developed an engineered fibrous analog of the knee meniscus using poly(ε-caprolactone) to create aligned scaffolds with variable amounts of non-aligned elements embedded within the scaffold. We show that the tensile properties of these scaffolds are a function of the ratio of aligned to non-aligned elements, and change in a predictable fashion following a simple mixture model. When measuring the loss of mechanical function in scaffolds with a radial tear, compared to intact scaffolds, the decrease in apparent linear modulus was reduced in scaffolds containing non-aligned layers compared to purely aligned scaffolds. Increased strains in areas adjacent to the defect were also noted in composite scaffolds. These findings indicate that non-aligned (disorganized) elements interspersed within an aligned network can improve overall mechanical function by promoting strain transfer to nearby disconnected fibers. This finding supports the notion that radial tie fibers may similarly promote tear tolerance in the knee meniscus, and will direct changes in clinical practice and provide guidance for tissue engineering strategies.

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“…1) that surrounds and subdivides the circumferential bundles. 8 While the functional importance of this secondary network has not been widely studied, it appears to facilitate rearrangement of the primary collagen bundles under load. 9 This secondary network is a compositionally distinct matrix compartment, containing colocalized collagens I, II, and VI, 10,11 as well as aggrecan and other proteoglycans.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of osmotic swelling influences on meniscal fibrocartilage and articular cartilage tissue mechanics in compression and shear

Nguyẽ̂n

Levenston

2011

Journal Orthopaedic Research

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Although the contribution of the circumferential collagen bundles to the anisotropic tensile stiffness of meniscal tissue has been well described, the implications of interactions between tissue components for other mechanical properties have not been as widely examined. This study compared the effects of the proteoglycan-associated osmotic swelling stress on meniscal fibrocartilage and articular cartilage (AC) mechanics by manipulating the osmotic environment and tissue compressive offset. Cylindrical samples were obtained from the menisci and AC of bovine stifles, equilibrated in phosphate-buffered saline solutions ranging from 0.1Â to 10Â, and tested in oscillatory torsional shear and unconfined compression. Biochemical analysis indicated that treatments and testing did not substantially alter tissue composition. Mechanical testing revealed tissue-specific responses to both increasing compressive offset and decreasing bath salinity. Most notably, reduced salinity dramatically increased the shear modulus of both axially and circumferentially oriented meniscal tissue explants to a much greater extent than for cartilage samples. Combined with previous studies, these findings suggest that meniscal proteoglycans have a distinct structural role, stabilizing, and stiffening the matrix surrounding the primary circumferential collagen bundles. ß

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New understanding of the complex structure of knee menisci: Implications for injury risk and repair potential for athletes

Cited by 47 publications

References 21 publications

Induction of fiber alignment and mechanical anisotropy in tissue engineered menisci with mechanical anchoring

Induction of fiber alignment and mechanical anisotropy in tissue engineered menisci with mechanical anchoring

Mechanical function near defects in an aligned nanofiber composite is preserved by inclusion of disorganized layers: Insight into meniscus structure and function

Comparison of osmotic swelling influences on meniscal fibrocartilage and articular cartilage tissue mechanics in compression and shear

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