Articular cartilage mechanical properties

The remarkable mechanical properties of articular cartilage result from the structure of collagen and proteoglycans, and from the properties of the fibrous composite formed by the interactions of collagen and proteoglycans in intercellular matrix. 

Biocompatibility and Mechanical Properties. Currently, their are no suitable artificial materials for the prosthetic replacement of articular cartilage. The biocompatibility is considered the primary criterion in the selection of such a material. In a recent study, Furst and co-workers(10) compared the biocompatibility of the polyurethane to the well known medical grade silicone polymer. The tissue reactions to small polymer discs, inserted in an articulating space—the suprapatellar bursa of rabbits, was examined. The foreign body reaction of the tissue at the implantation site was evaluated at intervals of 7 days,... 

Compatibility and Mechanical Properties of a Candidate for Articular Cartilage Replacement, Trans, of the 4th Annual Meeting Society of Biomaterials, 1978, 2, 159. ... 

Keinpson, G.E. Mechanical Properties of Articular Cartilage, "Adult Articular Cartilage" Edited by M.A.R. Freeman,... 

The overall structure of articular cartilage is analogous to a jelly-filled balloon. The PG-rich middle zone is osmotically pressurized, with fluid restrained from exiting the tissue by the dense coUagen network of the superficial zone and the calcified structure of the deep bone. The interaction between the mechanical loading forces and osmotic forces yields the complex material properties of articular cartilage. 

Guilak, F., Jones, W.R., Ting-Beall, H.P., Lee, G.M. The deformation behavior and mechanical properties of chondrocytes in articular cartilage. Osteoarth. CartU. 7, 59-70 (1999)... 

PVA cryogel (PVA-C) has caught the interest of researchers in the biomedical field since its creation in the early 1980s [43], Apart from its long-term biocompatibility and nontoxicity [44], its mechanical properties, which can be tailored to mimic a wide range of soft tissues [7, 45], are the main reason why PVA-C is an attractive candidate material for many prosthetic devices such as heart valves, blood vessels, and articular cartilages. 

Kempson, G. (1979) Mechanical properties of articular cartilage. In Adult Articular Cartilage, 2nd ed.. Freeman M.A.R., Editor, Pitman Medical Publishing Co. Ltd., Kent, England, pp. 333-414. 

Armstrong, C. and Mow, V.C. (1982) Variations in the intrinsic mechanical properties of human articular cartilage with age, degeneration and water content. J. Bone Joint Surg., 64A, 88-94. 

This book is aimed at teaching senior engineering students or orthopaedic residents the fundamental principles of biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system. The book contains several chapters on the mechanics of joints, and the properties and functions of joint tissues. The chapter devoted to articular cartilage and the meniscus includes a review of collagen-proteoglycan interactions, and how these directly affect the mechanical behavior of the tissue. The biphasic and the triphasic theories for the viscoelastic properties are also discussed. 

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