Therapeutic potential of COMP and TIMP-3 in preserving cartilage integrity compromised by proteases: A histo-mechanical study.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS) significantly impact articular cartilage biomechanical properties in osteoarthritis (OA). However, comprehensive understanding of biomechanical responses and the efficacy of potential therapeutic interventions remains limited. This study investigates how MMPs and ADAMTS synergistically degenerate cartilage biomechanical properties under different loading conditions, and evaluates the preventive role of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-3 (TIMP-3).

Hyperelastic constitutive modeling of healthy and enzymatically mediated degraded articular cartilage.

This research demonstrates a systematic curve fitting approach for acquiring parametric values of hyperelastic constitutive models for both healthy and enzymatically mediated degenerated cartilage to facilitate finite element modeling of cartilage. Several widely used phenomenological hyperelastic constitutive models were tested to adequately capture the changes in cartilage mechanics that vary with the differential/unequal abundance of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Trauma and physiological conditions result in an increased production of collagenases (MMP-1) and gelatinases (MMP-9), which impacts the load-bearing ability of cartilage by significantly deteriorating its extracellular matrix (ECM).