Validation of mechanical loading of HA hydrogels at 5% tare, 10% strain, and frequency of 1 Hz (A). Relative gene expression of dynamically loaded AU (B, C) and AR (D, E) hydrogels for 1 (black) and 5 (white) days normalized to free-swelling controls. Significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) between free-swelling and mechanically loaded samples are denoted by asterisks (*) using parametric and nonparametric statistics, and hashes (#) using parametric only.