Articular cartilage lines the articulating bones in joints and allows almost effortless movement. Adequate daily mechanical loading is critically important for cartilage maintenance and prevention of a pathological breakdown developing into osteoarthritis. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of mechanosensation of cartilage is of central importance; not only for preserving good health of astronauts during long-term space missions but also for patients suffering from irreversible cartilage degeneration.

In articular cartilage, only one cell type is found, the chondrocytes, which are responsible for the synthesis and maintenance of the matrix. These cells have shown to respond greatly to their mechanical environment. To date, however, the underlying mechanotransduction pathways are not fully understood. Experiments suggest that mechanosensitive ion channels could play a central role in the early events of mechanosensation. To better understand the influence of gravitational loads, and its potential link to intracellular calcium signaling, we record cytosolic free calcium and the membrane potential in chondrocytes exposed to hypergravity on a centrifuge.

Ongoing project…