Depth-dependent shear behavior of bovine articular cartilage: relationship to structure

The mechanical behavior of bovine articular cartilage in shear was measured and related to its structure through the depth of the tissue. To make these measurements, we designed an apparatus that could apply controlled shear displacement and measure the resulting shear force on cartilage specimens. Shear displacement and shear strain were obtained from confocal images of photobleached lines on fluorescently stained deformed samples. Depth-dependent collagen structure was obtained using compensated polarized light microscopy. Depth-dependent shear behavior and structure of samples from two animals were measured (group A and B). Both animals were 18-24 months old, which is the range in which they are expected reach skeletal maturity. In mature samples (group A), the stiffest region was located beneath the superficial zone, and the most compliant region was found in the radial zone. In contrast, in samples that were in the process of maturing (group B) the most compliant region was located in the superficial zone. Compensated polarized light microscopy suggested that the animal from which the group A samples were obtained was skeletally mature, whereas the animal yielding the group B samples was in the process of maturing. Compensated polarized light microscopy was an important adjunct to the mechanical shear behavior in that it provided a means to reconcile differences in observed shear behavior in mature and immature cartilage. Although samples were harvested from two animals, there were clear differences in structure and shear mechanical behavior. Differences in the depth-dependent shear strain were consistent with previous studies on mature and immature samples and, based on the structural variation between mature and immature articular cartilage, their mechanical behavior differences can be tenable. These results suggest that age, as well as species and anatomic location, need to be considered when reporting mechanical behavior results.