Effect of mechanical stimuli on physicochemical properties of joint fluid in osteoarthritis_Chinese Journal of Reparative and Reconstructive Surgery

Authors：

YAO Han ^1,2,3 , TIAN Aixian ^1,2,3 , MA Jianxiong ^1,2,3 ,  MA Xinlong ^1,2,3

1. Tianjin University Tianjin Hospital (Tianjin Hospital), Tianjin, 300211, P. R. China;
2. Tianjin Institute of Orthopedics, Tianjin, 300050, P. R. China;
3. Tianjin Key Laboratory of Orthopedic Biomechanics and Medical Engineering, Tianjin, 300050, P. R. China;

Corresponding author：

MA Xinlong, Email: maxinlong8686@sina.com

Keywords：

Osteoarthritis; cartilage; mechanical stimulation; synovial fluid

DOI：

10.7507/1002-1892.202504117

Video：

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Objective To analyze the differences in the effects of different mechanical stimuli on cells, cytokines, and proteins in synovial fluid of osteoarthritis joints, and to elucidate the indirect mechanism by which mechanical signals remodel the synovial fluid microenvironment through tissue cells. Methods Systematically integrate recent literature, focusing on the regulatory effects of different mechanical stimuli on the physicochemical properties of synovial fluid. Analyze the dynamic process by which mechanical stimuli regulate secretory and metabolic activities through tissue cells, thereby altering the physicochemical properties of cytokines and proteins. Results Appropriate mechanical stimuli activate mechanical signals in chondrocytes, macrophages, and synovial cells, thereby influencing cellular metabolic activities, including inhibiting the release of pro-inflammatory factors and promoting the secretion of anti-inflammatory factors, and regulating the expression of matrix and inflammation-related proteins such as cartilage oligomeric matrix protein, peptidoglycan recognition protein 4, and matrix metalloproteinases. Conclusion Mechanical stimuli act on tissue cells, indirectly reshaping the synovial fluid microenvironment through metabolic activities, thereby regulating the pathological process of osteoarthritis.

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1. Kong H, Wang XQ, Zhang XA. Exercise for osteoarthritis: A literature review of pathology and mechanism. Front Aging Neurosci, 2022, 14: 854026. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.854026.
2. Cao H, Zhou XC, Li H, et al. Exercise for osteoarthritis: A global articles bibliometric analysis from 1975 to 2021. Science & Sports, 2023, 38(5-6): 488-497.
3. Zeng CY, Zhang ZR, Tang ZM, et al. Benefits and mechanisms of exercise training for knee osteoarthritis. Front Physiol, 2021, 12: 794062. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.794062.
4. Shao Y, Zhang H, Guan H, et al. PDZK1 protects against mechanical overload-induced chondrocyte senescence and osteoarthritis by targeting mitochondrial function. Bone Res, 2024, 12(1): 41. doi: 10.1038/s41413-024-00344-6.
5. Zhang H, Shao Y, Yao Z, et al. Mechanical overloading promotes chondrocyte senescence and osteoarthritis development through downregulating FBXW7. Ann Rheum Dis, 2022, 81(5): 676-686.
6. Yan X, Fu S, Xie Y, et al. Piezo1-driven mechanotransduction as a key regulator of cartilage degradation in early osteoarthritis. Biomol Biomed, 2025, 25(4): 905-913.
7. Tang W, Yin JB, Lin RG, et al. Rapgef3 modulates macrophage reprogramming and exacerbates synovitis and osteoarthritis under excessive mechanical loading. iScience, 2025, 28(5): 112131. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.112131.
8. Castro-Viñuelas R, Viudes-Sarrión N, Rojo-García AV, et al. Mechanical loading rescues mechanoresponsiveness in a human osteoarthritis explant model despite Wnt activation. Osteoarthritis Cartilage, 2025, 33(6): 692-702.
9. Zhang M, Meng N, Wang X, et al. TRPV4 and PIEZO channels mediate the mechanosensing of chondrocytes to the biomechanical microenvironment. Membranes (Basel), 2022, 12(2): 237. doi: 10.3390/membranes12020237.
10. Berumen-Nafarrate E, Leal-Berumen I, Luevano E, et al. Synovial tissue and synovial fluid. J Knee Surg, 2002, 15(1): 46-48.
11. Zhang L, Zhang H, Xie Q, et al. LncRNA-mediated cartilage homeostasis in osteoarthritis: a narrative review. Front Med (Lausanne), 2024, 11: 1326843. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1326843.
12. Ghosh S, Choudhury D. Tribological role of synovial fluid compositions on artificial joints - a systematic review of the last 10 years. Lubrication Science, 2014, 26(6): 387-410.
13. Jahn S, Seror J, Klein J. Lubrication of articular cartilage. Annu Rev Biomed Eng, 2016, 18: 235-258.
14. Marinho A, Nunes C, Reis S. Hyaluronic acid: A key ingredient in the therapy of inflammation. Biomolecules, 2021, 11(10): 1518. doi: 10.3390/biom11101518.
15. Sze JH, Brownlie JC, Love CA. Biotechnological production of hyaluronic acid: a mini review. 3 Biotech, 2016, 6(1): 67. doi: 10.1007/s13205-016-0379-9.
16. Marcotti S, Maki K, Reilly GC, et al. Hyaluronic acid selective anchoring to the cytoskeleton: An atomic force microscopy study. PLoS One, 2018, 13(10): e0206056. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206056.
17. Chen LH, Xue JF, Zheng ZY, et al. Hyaluronic acid, an efficient biomacromolecule for treatment of inflammatory skin and joint diseases: A review of recent developments and critical appraisal of preclinical and clinical investigations. Int J Biol Macromol, 2018, 116: 572-584.
18. Fallacara A, Baldini E, Manfredini S, et al. Hyaluronic acid in the third millennium. Polymers (Basel), 2018, 10(7): 701. doi: 10.3390/polym10070701.
19. Hasnain S, Abbas I, Al-Atawi NO, et al. Knee synovial fluid flow and heat transfer, a power law model. Sci Rep, 2023, 13(1): 18184. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-44482-z.
20. 陈彦丞, 罗骏, 陈锦成, 等. 长期低温环境对大鼠膝骨关节炎进展的影响. 中华关节外科杂志 (电子版), 2021, 15(1): 71-77.
21. Andrysiak T, Bełdowski P, Siódmiak J, et al. Hyaluronan-chondroitin sulfate anomalous crosslinking due to temperature changes. Polymers (Basel), 2018, 10(5): 560. doi: 10.3390/polym10050560.
22. Li Y, Yuan Z, Yang H, et al. Recent advances in understanding the role of cartilage lubrication in osteoarthritis. Molecules, 2021, 26(20): 6122. doi: 10.3390/molecules26206122.
23. Park JY, Duong CT, Sharma AR, et al. Effects of hyaluronic acid and γ-globulin concentrations on the frictional response of human osteoarthritic articular cartilage. PLoS One, 2014, 9(11): e112684. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112684.
24. Bonnevie ED, Galesso D, Secchieri C, et al. Elastoviscous transitions of articular cartilage reveal a mechanism of synergy between lubricin and hyaluronic acid. PLoS One, 2015, 10(11): e0143415. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143415.
25. Abubacker S, Ham HO, Messersmith PB, et al. Cartilage boundary lubricating ability of aldehyde modified proteoglycan 4 (PRG4-CHO). Osteoarthritis Cartilage, 2013, 21(1): 186-189.
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