RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Glucosamine hydrochloride (GlcN·HCl) has been shown to inhibit cell growth and matrix synthesis, but not with N-acetyl-glucosamine (GlcNAc) supplementation. This effect might be related to an inhibition of critical growth factors (GF), or to a different metabolization of the two glucosamine derivatives. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the synergy between GlcN·HCl, GlcNAc, and GF on proliferation and cartilage matrix synthesis. METHOD: Bovine chondrocytes were cultivated in monolayers for 48 h and in three-dimensional (3D) chitosan scaffolds for 30 days in perfusion bioreactors. Serum-free (SF) medium was supplemented with either growth factors (GF) TGF-ß (5 ng mL-1) and IGF-I (10 ng mL-1), GlcN·HCl or GlcNAc at 1mM each or both. Six groups were compared according to medium supplementation: (a) SF control; (b) SF + GlcN·HCl; (c) SF + GlcNAc; (d) SF + GF; (e) SF + GF + GlcN·HCl; and (f) SF + GF + GlcNAc. Cell proliferation, proteoglycan, collagen I (COL1), and collagen II (COL2) synthesis were evaluated. RESULTS: The two glucosamines showed opposite effects in monolayer culture: GlcN·HCl significantly reduced proliferation and GlcNAc significantly augmented cellular metabolism. In the 30 days 3D culture, the GlcN·HCl added to GF stimulated cell proliferation more than when compared to GF only, but the proteoglycan synthesis was smaller than GF. However, GlcNAc added to GF improved the cell proliferation and proteoglycan synthesis more than when compared to GF and GF/GlcN·HCl. The synthesis of COL1 and COL2 was observed in all groups containing GF. CONCLUSION: GlcN·HCl and GlcNAc increased cell growth and stimulated COL2 synthesis in long-time 3D culture. However, only GlcNAc added to GF improved proteoglycan synthesis.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Dimensional control and surface finish of the femoral head and acetabular liner are critical factors in the manufacturing process due to the risk of increased polyethylene wear, which is the primary cause of aseptic failure of a metal/polymer hip prosthesis. The aim of this study is to perform a dimensional and surface finish analysis to evaluate the reproduction and accuracy of the manufacturing processes of metal femoral heads and ultra high molecular weight polyethylene acetabular liners. METHODS: Four femoral heads and acetabular liners from 5 manufacturers were evaluated. The methods of evaluation followed the standards ISO 7206-2:2011 and ISO 21535:2010. RESULTS: The diameter, sphericity, and roughness of the femoral heads from all the manufacturers were in accordance with the standard requirements. Only the sphericity showed a lack of repeatability among the manufacturers. The variability in sphericity was high among some manufacturers and low in others. The diameters of the acetabular liners of 2 manufacturers were not in accordance with the standard requirements. The repeatability of sphericity, thickness, and roughness of the acetabular liners were heterogeneous among the manufacturers, which means that some manufacturers need to improve quality control. CONCLUSION: Our results showed a good dimensional and surface finish control of the manufacturing processes of the femoral heads. However, the same control was not shown during the manufacturing of the acetabular liners although all samples had a thickness and sphericity in accordance with the standard. A better quality control of the manufacturing process of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene acetabular liners should be made to improve the dimensional parameters of the acetabular liners and the tribological pair.
