Material properties of articular cartilage in the rabbit tibial plateau

Abstract

The material properties of articular cartilage in the rabbit tibial plateau were determined using biphasic indentation creep tests. Cartilage specimens from matched-pair hind limbs of rabbits approximately 4 months of age and greater than 12 months of age were tested on two locations within each compartment using a custom built materials testing apparatus. A three-way ANOVA was used to determine the effect of leg, compartment, and test location on the material properties (aggregate modulus, permeability, and Poisson's ratio) and thickness of the cartilage for each set of specimens. While no differences were observed in cartilage properties between the left and right legs, differences between compartments were found in each set of specimens. For cartilage from the adolescent group, values for aggregate modulus were 40% less in the medial compartment compared to the lateral compartment, while values for permeability and thickness were greater in the medial compartment compared to the lateral compartment (57% and 30%, respectively). Values for Poisson's ratio were 19% less in the medial compartment compared to the lateral compartment. There was also a strong trend for thickness to differ between test locations. Similar findings were observed for cartilage from the mature group with values for permeability and thickness being greater in the medial compartment compared to the lateral compartment (66% and 34%, respectively). Values for Poisson's ratio were 22% less in the medial compartment compared to the lateral compartment.

A rabbit model demonstrates the influence of cartilage thickness on intra‐articular drug delivery and retention within cartilage

“…Using histology images, the mean thicknesses of articular cartilage from tibia, femur, patella, and trochlear groove were measured and are reported in Table 2. These results are similar to that reported previously for mature rabbit cartilage tissues (LTC $500 mm and MTC $740 mm 19,20 ; LFC $310-455 mm and MFC $350-470 mm 17,18 ).…”

“…17,18 For example, the following mean thickness values of articular cartilage for various mature animal species have been reported: mouse $50 mm, rat $100-150 mm, rabbit $350-700 mm, goat $900 mm, pig $1.5 mm, horse $1.5-2 mm and human $1.5-2 mm. [17][18][19][20][21] In this study, we demonstrate the significance of using animals larger than rodents for investigation of tissue-targeted intra-articular (i.a.) drug delivery.…”

“…We measured MTC to be the thickest of all of the other articular cartilage tissues, consistent with the data reported by others. 19,20 Sources of Error The large error bars in Figure 2 are associated with the accidental delivery of Avidin into the anterior cruciate ligament in two rabbits. In such cases, Avidin was not well distributed throughout the joint space resulting in lower uptake values in other tissue types compared to the case of normal i.a.…”

Measuring fixed charge density of goat articular cartilage using indentation methods and biochemical analysis

“…The indentation tests were performed on the cartilage surface that corresponded to the weight-bearing region if the knee were at 60° flexion ( Fig. 1) (Roemhildt et al, 2006,Holden et al, 1994. The specimen was first submersed in a hypertonic solution (2M NaCl PBS+PI solution) at room temperature.…”

“…Following indentation testing, the thickness of cartilage in 0.15M solution was measured using a needle probe attached to a 250g load cell (accuracy ±0.5%; Model 31; Honeywell Sensotec Sensors, Columbus, OH) (Hoch et al, 1983, Rasanen and Messner, 1996, Roemhildt et al, 2006. The swelling displacement was obtained by taking the difference between the displacement values of cartilage in 2M and 0.15M solutions at tare equilibrium.…”