Abstract
Articular cartilage lines synovial joints and functions as a low-friction deformable tissue to enable smooth and stable joint articulation. The objective of this study was to determine the relationships between cartilage stress-relaxation properties and the collagen and GAG NMR transverse relaxation times (T2) toward understanding mechanisms of cartilage viscoelasticity. Stress-relaxation tests were performed on both cultured and enzymatically digested bovine cartilage, followed by measurements of both the collagen and GAG T2 using the Call-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill pulse sequence. The peak and equilibrium stresses were correlated with the GAG T2, and the stress-relaxation time constant was correlated with the collagen T2. Multiple linear regression models were successful in using the specific T2 values to predict the stress-relaxation properties. As a model of osteoarthritis, enzymatic digestion with collagenase and testicular hyaluronidase had weak effects on T2 values. These data present a complex picture of cartilage mechanical behavior, with cartilage stiffness associated with the GAG T2 values and the stress-relaxation time constant associated with the collagen T2.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 57-61 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications |
Volume | 377 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 5 2008 |
Keywords
- Cartilage
- Cartilage material properties
- Cartilage viscoelasticity
- Flow-independent viscoelasticity
- Matrix viscoelasticty
- Polymer dynamics
- Transverse relaxation time
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology