The Phenomenon of Hypercellularity in Osteoarthritis and Modification of Synovial Fluid

Abstract

Articular cartilage is a thin layer of connective tissue that consists of tissue fluid and structural macromolecules, including collagens, proteoglycans, non-collagen proteins and glycoproteins without blood vessels, nerves or lymph nodes. It has a limited ability to self-healing. In addition, chondrocytes, which are surrounded by an extracellular matrix, cannot freely migrate to the site of damage from a healthy place, unlike most tissues. Because of this, even a small defect in the articular cartilage caused by mechanical damage can lead to a disease such as osteoarthritis. The task associated with the restoration of articular cartilage is complex, since conventional imaging methods can detect only progressive forms of osteoarthritis. Hypercellularity is one of the stages of the main processes occurring in osteoarthritis. At its early stages, hypercellularity has a remodeling, that is, restorative effect, but subsequently it goes into the stage of degradation, that is, a pathological process is observed. The problem of the transition of hypercellularity from a “restorative” to a “pathological” process, which is irreversible, has been poorly studied. This paperconsiders the aspects that could affect hypercellularity. The main goal of the work is to study the phenomenon of hypercellularity and proliferative activity of chondrocytes in the articular cartilage. The authors identifythe symptoms and causes of osteoarthritis, its stages and study the structural composition of the articular cartilage in order to consider the proliferative activity of chondrocytes in it. The paper investigates and analyzes thephenomenon of hypercellularity.