Abstract
ARTICULAR cartilage contains a high concentration of acid glycosaminoglycans (GAG), reaching 6% by wet weight and associated with fixed charge densities up to 0.2 mEq g−1. This leads to considerable swelling pressure within cartilage, due to, first, the strongly non-ideal osmotic pressure, characteristic of polymer solutions, which increases sharply with concentration and, second, the ionic contribution, in accordance with the Gibbs-Donnan equilibrium. Ogston and Wells1–3 have estimated the values of these two components and I have calculated them from my experimental data on cartilage4,5. The two components of swelling pressure are approximately of the same order of magnitude and can reach values as high as 1.7kgcm−2 (refs 4 and 5). Since normal cartilage does not swell in solution, even when it is removed from the joint and cut into thin (250 µm) slices (lowest curve, Fig. 1), this implies that its high swelling pressure must be counteracted by considerable elastic forces within the collagen fibre network. It has been known for some time that the concentration of GAG gradually increases from the articular surface to the deep zone (for example, refs 6 and 7). A typical variation of total GAG content with depth, measured as fixed charge density, is shown in Table 1. I now suggest that this particular profile is adapted to the physiological function and mechanical properties of cartilage.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Prices vary by article type
from$1.95
to$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ogston, A. G., in Chemistry and Molecular Biology of the Intercellular Matrix, (edit. by Balazs, E. A.), 1231–1240 (Academic, New York, 1970).
Ogston, A. G., and Wells, J. D., Biochem. J., 128, 685–690 (1972).
Wells, J. D., Proc. R. Soc., B 183, 399–419 (1973).
Maroudas, A., in Adult Articular Cartilage (edit. by Freeman, M. A. R.), 131–170 (Pitman Medical, London, 1973).
Maroudas, A., Biorheology, 12, 233–248 (1975).
Stockwell, A., and Scott, J. E., Nature, 215, 1376–1377 (1967).
Maroudas, A., Muir, H., and Wingham, J., Biochim. biophys. Acta, 177, 492–500 (1969).
Maroudas, A., Biophys. J., 8, 575–596 (1968).
Bollet, A. J., and Nance, J. L., J. clin. Invest., 45, 1170–1177 (1966).
Hjertquist, S. O., and Lemperg, R. C., Calc. Tissue Res., 10, 223–237 (1972).
Maroudas, A., Evans, H., and Almeida, L., Ann. rheum. Dis., 32, 1–9 (1973).
Ficat, C., and Maroudas, A., Ann. rheum. Dis., 34, 515–519 (1975).
Zarins, A., and Mankin, H. J., J. Bone Jt Surg., 56 A 860 (1974).
Ali, S. Y., and Bayliss, M. T., in Normal and Osteoarthritic Articular Cartilage (edit. by Ali, S. Y., Elves, M. W., and Leabeck, D. H.), 189–203 (Institute of Orthopaedics, London, 1974).
Freeman, M. A. R., and Meachim, G., in Adult Articular Cartilage (edit. by Freeman, M. A . R.), 287–329 (Pitman Medical, London, 1973).
McDevitt, C. A., and Muir, H., J. Bone Jt Surg., 58 B, 94–101 (1976).
Maroudas, A., Connective Tissue Res., 1, 153–162 (1972).
Katchalsky, A., Cooper, R. E., Upadhyay, J., and Wasserman, A., J. chem. Soc., 5198–5204 (1961).
Wells, J. D., Biopolymers., 12, 223–228 (1973).
Manning, G. S., J. chem. Phys., 51, 924–933 (1969).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
MAROUDAS, A. Balance between swelling pressure and collagen tension in normal and degenerate cartilage. Nature 260, 808–809 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/260808a0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/260808a0
This article is cited by
-
miR-92a-3p-inspired shRNA exhibits pro-chondrogenic and chondrocyte protective effects in osteoarthritis treatment through targeting SMAD6/7
Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism (2024)
-
Four distinct network patterns of supramolecular/polymer composite hydrogels controlled by formation kinetics and interfiber interactions
Nature Communications (2023)
-
Chondrocyte Deformations Under Mild Dynamic Loading Conditions
Annals of Biomedical Engineering (2021)
-
Nanoparticle–Cartilage Interaction: Pathology-Based Intra-articular Drug Delivery for Osteoarthritis Therapy
Nano-Micro Letters (2021)
-
The two Poisson’s ratios in annulus fibrosus: relation with the osmo-inelastic features
Mechanics of Soft Materials (2020)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.