Biomechanical, Morphological, and Biochemical Characteristics of Articular Cartilage of the Ovine Humeral Head

Abstract

Objective. Shoulder pain is commonly attributed to rotator cuff injury or osteoarthritis. Ovine translational models are used to investigate novel treatments aimed at remedying these conditions to prevent articular cartilage degeneration and subsequent joint degradation. However, topographical properties of articular cartilage in the ovine shoulder are undefined. This study investigates the biomechanical, morphological, and biochemical attributes of healthy ovine humeral head articular cartilage and characterizes topographical variations between surface locations. Design. Ten humeral heads were collected from healthy skeletally mature sheep and each was segregated into 4 quadrants using 16 regions of interest (ROIs) across the articular surface. Articular cartilage of each ROI was analyzed for creep indentation, thickness, and sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) and collagen quantity. Comparisons of each variable were made between quadrants and between ROIs within each quadrant. Results. Percent creep, thickness, and sGAG content, but not collagen content, were significantly different between humeral head quadrants. Subregion analysis of the ROIs within each surface quadrant revealed differences in all measured variables within at least one quadrant. Percent creep was correlated with sGAG (r = −0.32, P = 0.0001). Collagen content was correlated with percent creep (r = 0.32, P = 0.0009), sGAG (r = −0.19, P = 0.049), and thickness (r = −0.19, P = 0.04). Conclusions. Topographical variations exist in mechanical, morphologic, and biochemical properties across the articular surface of the ovine humeral head. Recognizing this variability in ovine humeral head cartilage will provide researchers and clinicians with accurate information that could impact study outcomes.

Biomechanical properties of articular cartilage in different regions and sites of the knee joint: acquisition of osteochondral allografts

“…(Li et al 2021a , Mieloch et al 2019 ) The biomechanical properties of AC have been studied extensively, but most studies have concentrated on the overall biomechanical properties of cartilage without considering specialized regional variations. (McCready et al 2022 , Risch et al 2021 ) Only a few studies have described the biomechanical properties of the medial and lateral AC at different sites. (Li et al 2021a , Risch et al 2021 ) Our study aimed to characterize the biomechanical properties and compare the thickness of AC in different regions and different sites of knee joints.…”

“…Furthermore, anisotropic and nonlinear biomechanical properties of cartilage structure and composition are generated during compression and tension. (Guo et al 2022 , Li et al 2021a , McCready et al 2022 ) The unconfined compression test was used to determine the compressive strength of the entire cartilage, calculate the compressive modulus through stress–strain curves, and macroscopically analyze the biomechanical properties of the AC. (Cooper et al 2017 , Nebelung et al 2017 , Shi et al 2020 , Sidharthan et al 2021 , Weitkamp et al 2021 ).…”

Biomechanical Properties of Articular Cartilage in Different Regions and Sites of the Knee Joint: Acquisition of Osteochondral Allografts

“…[1,4] The biomechanical properties of AC have been studied in general; however, most studies have concentrated on the biomechanical properties of cartilage at the same site without specialized regional division. [3,11] Only a few studies have described the biomechanical properties of the inside and outside of the AC at different sites. [1,3] Our study characterized the biomechanical properties and compared the thickness of AC in different regions and different sites of sti e joints.…”

“…Furthermore, anisotropic and nonlinear biomechanical properties of cartilage structure and composition are generated during compression and tension. [1,7,11] The uncon ned compression test is used to derive the compressive strength of the entire cartilage, calculate the compressive modulus through stress-strain curves, and macroscopically analyze the biomechanical properties of the AC. [12][13][14][15][16] This study aimed to measure Young's modulus of the AC surface and the compressive modulus via a series of nanoindentation measurements and uncon ned compression tests, which microscopically and macroscopically analyzes the biomechanical properties of AC.…”