[Effect of collagen on magnetization transfer contrast assessed in cultured cartilage]

We investigated the effect of collagen on magnetization transfer contrast (MTC) in cultured cartilage. In our culture system, only collagen synthesis was increased by the addition of vitamin C, while proteoglycan synthesis and the number of chondrocytes were unaffected. The MTC effect was assessed by using an off-resonance RF pulse (0.3 KHz off-resonance, sinc wave of 18 msec, maximum amplitude 4.61 x 10(-4)T) on a GRASS sequence. The cartilage cultured with vitamin C showed a higher MTC effect than that cultured without vitamin C. The major role of collagen on MTC was confirmed in living cartilage tissue.