COLLAGEN STRUCTURE UNDER TENSION W/ DEPTH AND AGE VARIATION IN BOVINE CARTILAGE

这个子项目是众多研究子项目之一

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Cartilage matrix components have been shown to vary in content and organization with age and vertical depth from the articular surface. This structural variation has been correlated to the anisotropic mechanical properties of cartilage. However, most of the structural studies of collagen have been performed on unstressed cartilage, and any changes that occur in the collagen structure during load have not been well-characterized. Determining the effect of tension on collagen fibril structure would help elucidate how cartilage tissue structure relates to its biomechanical function. The objective of this study is to elucidate changes in collagen structure in tension with varying depths and ages of bovine knee cartilage.