Dynamic Compression Stimulates the Development of Equilibrium Aggregate Modulus in Tissue Engineered Cartilage Constructs

A major challenge facing the tissue engineering of articular cartilage is the ability to grow tissue constructs that have the proper mechanical and biochemical properties that permit cartilage to serve its load-bearing function. This study tested the hypothesis that physiologic deformational loading enhances the formation of functional material properties in cell-seeded agarose constructs (versus free-swelling constructs).