Preservation and analysis of nonequilibrium solute concentration distributions within mechanically compressed cartilage explants.

Solute transport within articular cartilage is of central importance to tissue physiology, and may mediate effects of mechanical compression on cell metabolism. We therefore developed and applied a freeze-substitution method for fixation of cartilage explant disks which had been compressed axially during radial solute desorption. Dextrans were used as model solutes. Explant morphology was well preserved and nonequilibrium solute concentration distributions were stable for several hours at room temperature. For desorption from explants compressed statically to 0-46% strain, analysis of laser confocal images and comparison to a theoretical model permitted measurement of effective diffusivities. Results were consistent with previous studies suggesting a role for transport limitations in mediating the decreases of chondrocyte metabolic rates associated with static compression. In explants compressed dynamically (23+/-5% strain at 0.001 Hz), evidence was obtained for the augmentation of effective transport rate of 3 kDa dextrans by oscillatory interstitial fluid flows. This suggests that augmented solute transport may play a role in mediating the increases of chondrocyte metabolic rates associated with dynamic compression. Methods appear suitable for quantitative studies of transport within mechanically compressed cartilage-like tissues, and may be valuable for identification of loading environments which optimize solute transport in tissue engineering applications.