Tissue-engineered cartilage constructs designed for in-vivo applications intuitively should mimic the mechanical properties of native cartilage. The objective of the present work was to characterize the nanomechanical properties of alginate-recovered chondrocyte matrices as a function of ex-vivo incubation time. Chondrocytes isolated from the articular cartilage of the mature bovine metacarpophalangeal joints were cultured with alginate hydrogel to allow for the formation of extracellular matrices. The recovered chondral constructs after 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks of ex-vivo incubation were analysed using nanoindentation with atomic force microscopy to determine their mechanical properties. Chondral constructs had average Young's moduli of 123±22 kPa, 174±31 kPa, 373±40 kPa, and 564±79 kPa after incubation for 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks respectively, indicating the gradual attainment of mechanical stiffness. This escalating trend of micromechanical properties as a function of increasing ex-vivo incubation time suggests that chondral constructs via a tissue-engineering approach are capable of elaborating extracellular matrices and increase mechanical stiffness. The relationship between Young's modulus and incubation time of the chondral constructs is useful in the design and fabrication of tissue-engineered cartilage constructs.
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