Abstract
This study examines a model system consisting of isolated bovine articular chondrocytes embedded in agarose gel matrx. In order to make clear the effect of the vicoelasticity of the chondrocyte on the viscoelastic properties of gel matrix, stress relacxation experiments were performed. An empirical equation was proposed to describe the relaxation modulus of the model system. The effect of the modulus of the cell viscoelasticity was determined by analyzing the change as afuction of cell cell content in the parameters determined by the fitting the data to the empirical equation.
