Determination of Wave Velocities in Articular Cartilage by Brillouin Scattering (CAT#: STEM-ST-0134-YJL)

Introduction

For aging populations, joint diseases such as osteoarthritis are becoming serious problems. The regeneration of articular cartilage is difficult. Thus, a better understanding of elasticities is important for the evaluation of disease stages and the detection of initial symptoms. Articular cartilage has a superficial layer, a middle layer, and a deep layer.8 The extracellular matrix in the superficial layer is rich in collagen, and its fiber bundle is oriented parallel to the joint surface. The radius of the fiber bundle increases from the middle layer to the deep layer, and, in the deep layer, it is gradually oriented perpendicular to the surface. The amount of proteoglycan increases from the superficial layer to the deep layer. Therefore, the internal structure and character of the articular cartilage are different in each layer, resulting in a complex anisotropy.