A Measure of Control for Secondary Cytokine-Induced Injury of Articular Cartilage: A Computational Study

Abstract: In previous works, the author and collaborators establish a mathematical model for injury response in articular cartilage. In this paper we use mathematical software and computational techniques, applied to an existing model to explore in more detail how the behavior of cartilage cells is influenced by several of, what are believed to be, the most significant mechanisms underlying cartilage injury response at the cellular level. We introduce a control parameter, the radius of attenuation, and present some new simulations that shed light on how inflammation associated with cartilage injuries impacts the metabolic activity of cartilage cells. The details presented in the work can help to elucidate targets for more effective therapies in the preventative treatment of post-traumatic osteoarthritis.