Shock absorbing ability of articular cartilage and subchondral bone under impact compression.
Abstract: Despite the important role of subchondral bone in maintaining the integrity of the overlying articular cartilage, little research has focused on measuring its mechanical behavior, particularly under injurious load conditions such as impact compression. In this study, the stiffness and the absorbed energy of subchondral bone were compared to that of its overlying cartilage by applying impact compression to equine cartilage-bone specimens. Deformations of the cartilage and subchondral bone were examined independently within the cartilage-bone unit by analyzing real-time images of cartilage-bone explants. Peak subchondral bone and cartilage stiffness (mean ± SD) were 800.7 ± 250.0 MPa and 119.9 ± 50.8 MPa respectively. The maximum absorbed energy per unit volume of subchondral bone was approximately 4 times lower than that of cartilage. Micro-computed tomography (μCT) images at 9 μm resolution revealed oblique fissures at the cartilage articular surface. At the cartilage-bone interface, micro-cracks as thin as 30 μm in width and micro-fractures of width 200 μm could be seen in the μCT images. The relative energy loss in bone was 76.5 ± 6.8% in specimens with bone fracture and 23.0 ± 20.4% in specimens without bone fracture. Our results indicate that both articular cartilage and subchondral bone absorb shock under impact compression, but the energy absorption of bone is much higher in specimens that fracture. This may spare the overlying cartilage from immediate injury, but is a potential risk for subsequent post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA).
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2013-05-22 PubMed ID: 23746699DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2013.05.005Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research explored how articular cartilage and subchondral bone react to impact compression, like an injury, in terms of stiffness, energy absorption, and deformation.
Understanding The Research Context
- The researchers primarily aim to closely examine how the subchondral bone behaves under the conditions of injurious load such as impact compression, which hasn’t been centrally studied before.
- Both articular cartilage and subchondral bone contribute to the overall health and functionality of joints. This study focuses on both entities as a holistic “cartilage-bone unit”.
Methodology
- The researchers conducted impact compression tests on equine cartilage-bone specimens. This essentially placed abrupt and significant pressure on these structures, mimicking an injury event.
- They specifically measured and compared the stiffness and absorbed energy of the subchondral bone and the overlying cartilage.
- Additionally, they used real-time imaging techniques to track the deformations of these two components within the single cartilage-bone unit.
- Micro-computed tomography (μCT) images were employed to find detailed structural changes and damage at a resolution level of 9 μm.
Key Findings
- The subchondral bone exhibited higher stiffness than cartilage, with values of 800.7 ± 250.0 MPa and 119.9 ± 50.8 MPa respectively.
- However, subchondral bone’s energy absorption capability was notably lower than cartilage, around four times lesser.
- Furthermore, μCT images revealed visible damage like fissures or cracks at the cartilage articular surface, and micro-cracks and micro-fractures at the cartilage-bone interface.
- In particular, it was found that energy absorption of the bone was significantly higher in specimens that developed fractures, accounting for a relative energy loss of 76.5 ± 6.8% compared to 23.0 ± 20.4% in fracture-free cases.
Implications and Conclusion
- The outcomes demonstrate that both cartilage and subchondral bone contribute to shock absorption under impact compression, which indicates their combined role in mitigating injuries to an extent.
- A noteworthy conclusion is the increased energy absorption found in the bone of fractured specimens, which might help protect the overlying cartilage from immediate harm.
- However, this mechanic could eventually become a risk factor for the development of conditions like post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA).
- Overall, this study enhances knowledge of the structural and functional attributes of the cartilage-bone unit, especially with respect to injury and post-injury events.
Cite This Article
APA
Malekipour F, Whitton C, Oetomo D, Lee PV.
(2013).
Shock absorbing ability of articular cartilage and subchondral bone under impact compression.
J Mech Behav Biomed Mater, 26, 127-135.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2013.05.005 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic. 3010, Australia.
MeSH Terms
- Absorption
- Animals
- Bone and Bones / diagnostic imaging
- Bone and Bones / physiology
- Cartilage, Articular / diagnostic imaging
- Cartilage, Articular / physiology
- Compressive Strength
- Fractures, Bone / diagnostic imaging
- Fractures, Bone / physiopathology
- Horses
- Materials Testing
- Weight-Bearing
- X-Ray Microtomography
Citations
This article has been cited 13 times.- Santos S, Neu CP, Grady JJ, Pierce DM. Genipin does not reduce the initiation or propagation of microcracks in collagen networks of cartilage.. Osteoarthr Cartil Open 2022 Mar;4(1):100233.
- Bauer C, Göçerler H, Niculescu-Morzsa E, Jeyakumar V, Stotter C, Klestil T, Franek F, Nehrer S. Biotribological Tests of Osteochondral Grafts after Treatment with Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines.. Cartilage 2021 Dec;13(1_suppl):496S-508S.
- Kazemi M, Williams JL. Properties of Cartilage-Subchondral Bone Junctions: A Narrative Review with Specific Focus on the Growth Plate.. Cartilage 2021 Dec;13(2_suppl):16S-33S.
- Grässel S, Muschter D. Recent advances in the treatment of osteoarthritis.. F1000Res 2020;9.
- Perni S, Prokopovich P. Optimisation and feature selection of poly-beta-amino-ester as a drug delivery system for cartilage.. J Mater Chem B 2020 Jun 17;8(23):5096-5108.
- Mountcastle SE, Allen P, Mellors BOL, Lawless BM, Cooke ME, Lavecchia CE, Fell NLA, Espino DM, Jones SW, Cox SC. Dynamic viscoelastic characterisation of human osteochondral tissue: understanding the effect of the cartilage-bone interface.. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2019 Nov 30;20(1):575.
- Blom RP, Mol D, van Ruijven LJ, Kerkhoffs GMMJ, Smit TH. A Single Axial Impact Load Causes Articular Damage That Is Not Visible with Micro-Computed Tomography: An Ex Vivo Study on Caprine Tibiotalar Joints.. Cartilage 2021 Dec;13(2_suppl):1490S-1500S.
- Bauer C, Göçerler H, Niculescu-Morzsa E, Jeyakumar V, Stotter C, Tóth I, Klestil T, Franek F, Nehrer S. Effect of osteochondral graft orientation in a biotribological test system.. J Orthop Res 2019 Mar;37(3):583-592.
- Mahmood H, Shepherd DET, Espino DM. Surface damage of bovine articular cartilage-off-bone: the effect of variations in underlying substrate and frequency.. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2018 Oct 24;19(1):384.
- Nickien M, Heuijerjans A, Ito K, van Donkelaar CC. Comparison between in vitro and in vivo cartilage overloading studies based on a systematic literature review.. J Orthop Res 2018 Apr 12;36(8):2076-86.
- Lo GH, Merchant MG, Driban JB, Duryea J, Price LL, Eaton CB, McAlindon TE. Knee Alignment Is Quantitatively Related to Periarticular Bone Morphometry and Density, Especially in Patients With Osteoarthritis.. Arthritis Rheumatol 2018 Feb;70(2):212-221.
- Boyde A, Davis GR, Mills D, Zikmund T, Cox TM, Adams VL, Niker A, Wilson PJ, Dillon JP, Ranganath LR, Jeffery N, Jarvis JC, Gallagher JA. On fragmenting, densely mineralised acellular protrusions into articular cartilage and their possible role in osteoarthritis.. J Anat 2014 Oct;225(4):436-46.
- Findlay DM, Atkins GJ. Osteoblast-chondrocyte interactions in osteoarthritis.. Curr Osteoporos Rep 2014 Mar;12(1):127-34.
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