Study of Proteoglycan Loss From Articular Cartilage Using Brillouin Scattering (CAT#: STEM-ST-0131-YJL)

Introduction

AC is a highly organized connective tissue, comprising a single type of specialized cell - the chondrocyte - within an ECM. The structure and arrangement of cartilage components are organized to serve the tissue's main function of load bearing, resilience to mechanical wear and redistribution of stresses in order to protect the underlying bone. The main components of articular cartilage are water (70% to 85% of weight) and the ECM, which is composed of type II collagen (15%–20% of weight) and proteoglycans (PGs) (3%–10% of weight). The protein cores of PGs are lined by covalent attachments of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which confer negative charge due to the abundance of carboxyl and sulfate groups. This property fixes PGs to the ECM and attracts cations, such as sodium, which then draw water into the tissue to generate the swelling pressure of cartilage.