title: Raman spectroscopy investigation of load-assisted microstructural alterations in human knee cartilage: Preliminary study into diagnostic potential for osteoarthritis.
abstract: A preliminary investigation into the diagnostic potential of Raman spectroscopy for assessing pathological articular cartilage was conducted. Five arthritic human tibial cartilages retrieved after total knee arthroplasty were examined using near-infrared (NIR) Raman spectroscopy excited with 647.1nm lines of a Kr-ion laser. A "healthy" cartilage obtained from cadaver donor was also examined as a control sample. Degradation severity was first visually classified into five grades (Grade 0-VI) on the surface of both medial and lateral zones in each tibial plateau, according to the Collins scale. Raman spectra were then collected from selected zones with different damage severity. A systematic increase in relative intensity ratio between the Raman bands located at 1241 and 1269cm(-1) (amide III doublet) was observed with increasing degradation grades, which could be related to structural changes under loading in type II collagen. This finding suggests that the present spectroscopic approach might be useful for recognizing and quantitatively assessing the degree of osteoarthritis (OA) in its early manifestation stage.
authors.affiliation: Ceramic Physics Laboratory and Research Institute for Nanoscience, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Sakyo-ku, Matsugasaki, 606-8585 Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuhito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka University Medical School, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, 565-0871 Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuhiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sugano
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka University Medical School, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, 565-0871 Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takao
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka University Medical School, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, 565-0871 Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka University Medical School, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, 565-0871 Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishii
authors.affiliation: Ceramic Physics Laboratory and Research Institute for Nanoscience, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Sakyo-ku, Matsugasaki, 606-8585 Kyoto, Japan; The Center for Advanced Medical Engineering and Informatics, Osaka University, Yamadaoka, Suita, 565-0871 Osaka, Japan. Electronic address: pezzotti@kit.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pezzotti
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002102:Cadaver; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000737:chemistry*; D019245:Compressive Strength; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000737:chemistry*; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000379:methods*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D016474:Weight-Bearing
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Collagen; Knee cartilage; Osteoarthritis; Raman spectroscopy