Measuring microscale strain fields in articular cartilage during rapid impact reveals thresholds for chondrocyte death and a protective role for the superficial layer.

ABSTRACT: Articular cartilage is a heterogeneous soft tissue that dissipates and distributes loads in mammalian joints. Though robust, cartilage is susceptible to damage from loading at high rates or magnitudes. Such injurious loads have been implicated in degenerative changes, including chronic osteoarthritis (OA), which remains a leading cause of disability in developed nations. Despite decades of research, mechanisms of OA initiation after trauma remain poorly understood. Indeed, although bulk cartilage mechanics are measurable during impact, current techniques cannot access microscale mechanics at those rapid time scales. We aimed to address this knowledge gap by imaging the microscale mechanics and corresponding acute biological changes of cartilage in response to rapid loading. In this study,

SUBMITTER: Bartell LR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4592793 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature