Action of compression and cations on the proton and deuterium relaxation in cartilage

In this paper, investigations are described on the influence of osmotic pressures and of varying cation concentrations on water relaxation times in cartilage (pig articular cartilage and bovine nasal cartilage). Both water content and relaxation times decrease strongly with increasing osmotic pressure. This relaxation behavior can be explained in terms of a fast chemical exchange between unbound and bound water. Na+ does not influence water content or relaxation times, whereas Ca2+ causes a small reduction in these parameters.