Articular Cartilage is a connective tissue primarily composed of collagen fiber bundles , proteoglycan aggregates and water. Articular cartilage functions as the load bearing surface of all synovial joints. The disease process of osteoarthritis involves the degeneration of load bearing articular cartilage. The earliest manifestations of this disease induce changes in the density and mobility of the sodium ions as well as loss of proteoglycan content in the extra-cellular matrix. In general, mechanical behaviour has an important role in the function of synovial joints. This phenomenon is important in the physiological processes involved in chondrocyte nutrition, joint lubrication and etiology of osteoarthritis. The object of this investigation is to determine the visco-elastic response of articular cartilage subjected to pressures and strains close to physiological range using non-invasive MR techniques that employ a specially designed pressure cell. Initially we have conducted the measurements on series of normal bovine specimens as well as enzymatically degraded speciemns. Our priliminary data indicate that articular cartilage compresses with at least two time constants, which is consistent with the intuitive notion that the mechanical properties are non -homogeneous. In fact, we are extending all these non-invasive MR techniques to in vivo and further studies are in progress.
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