Pathology of the Meniscus

Osteoarthritis gene therapy

“…The meniscal cartilages of the osteoarthritic knee joint shows similar degenerative changes. 14 The synovia of these joints are often inflamed; 15 the significance of this is a matter of great controversy. Wear debris, 16 crystals 17 or inflammatory cytokines [18][19][20] may cause synovitis in OA.…”

rAAV-mediated overexpression of FGF-2 promotes cell proliferation, survival, and α-SMA expression in human meniscal lesions

“…5,6 The meniscus is made of fibrocartilaginous elements constituting an extracellular matrix mainly composed of collagen (predominantly type-I collagen, but also type-II, type-III, and type-V collagen), with smaller quantities of proteoglycans synthesized by the resident cells (meniscal fibrochondrocytes). Alterations in the cellularity and constitution in injured menisci have been frequently noted, 5,[7][8][9][10][11] particularly in older patients 11 and cell death by apoptosis has been shown in experimental models in vivo. 12,13 Repopulation of sites of injury might, thus, be favorable to promote the healing of meniscal lesions.…”

Involvement of the p38 MAPK-NF-κB Signal Transduction Pathway and COX-2 in the Pathobiology of Meniscus Degeneration in Humans

“…It is presumed to be associated with traumatic events as well as with fibrocartilaginous degeneration processes (6). During the past decades, the pivotal and comprehensive role of meniscus in knee biomechanics has been established (25).…”

“…In 39 of the patients (68.4%), meniscal tearing was attributed to trauma and in 18 (31.6%) to a background of clinically diagnosed OA. The histopathologic identification of meniscal degeneration (MD) was based on established microscopy criteria (6,22). More specifically, the presence of inflammation, calcification, increased cellularity, and meniscal cell clustering, development of myxoid changes, and existence of stimulated perimeniscal layer composed of activated synovial cells were evaluated.…”

“…Menisci can fail because of biomechanical and biochemical cues (4,5). The latter situation is frequently attributed to the presence of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee (6,7).…”