Structure-function relations and rigidity percolation in the shear properties of articular cartilage.

ABSTRACT: Among mammalian soft tissues, articular cartilage is particularly interesting because it can endure a lifetime of daily mechanical loading despite having minimal regenerative capacity. This remarkable resilience may be due to the depth-dependent mechanical properties, which have been shown to localize strain and energy dissipation. This paradigm proposes that these properties arise from the depth-dependent collagen fiber orientation. Nevertheless, this structure-function relationship has not yet been quantified. Here, we use confocal elastography, quantitative polarized light microscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared imaging to make same-sample measurements of the depth-dependent shear modulus, collagen fiber organization, and extracellular matrix concentration in neonatal bovine articula

SUBMITTER: Silverberg JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4190603 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature