Figure 4

Tensile and compressive mechanical properties of neocartilage. (A), (B) Chondroitinase ABC (C-ABC)and transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) significantly increased tensile stiffness and strength, while tensile properties trended higher with hydrostatic pressure (HP). The C-ABC/TGF-β1 and HP/C-ABC/TGF-β1 treatments synergistically enhanced tensile strength. (C), (D) TGF-β1 also significantly increased compressive instantaneous and relaxation moduli. Combined C-ABC/TGF-β1 treatment synergistically increased instantaneous modulus. GAG depletion with C-ABC treatment did not compromise compressive properties below control. Data reported as mean ± standard deviation. All groups not connected by a common lowercase letter are significantly different (P <0.05).