Fluid Shear Stress Inhibits Differentiation of Growth Plate Chondrocytes, Partially Via Integrin Beta 1

Authored by Barbara D Boyan

Mechanical stimuli such as fluid shear stress contribute to cartilage homeostasis and serve as important parameters for tissue engineering bioreactors. While mechanical forces on articular chondrocytes are widely investigated, the objective of this study was to determine the effects of fluid shear stress on growth plate cartilage cells. Rat costochondral resting zone chondrocytes (RC) and chondrogenic ATDC5 cells were subjected to 0, 2, 3.5, 5, or 6.5 dynes/cm2 fluid shear stress in a cone-plate viscometer device for 24 hours, and thenwereharvested immediately or after an additional static culture period. Shear stress exposure decreased [35S]-sulfate and [3H]-thymidine incorporation, but these were partially or fully recovered to control levels following a 24-hour, post-shear static culture across shear treatments. Alkaline phosphatase activity was also dose-dependently lowered by shear at this interval.

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