title: Micromechanical response of articular cartilage to tensile load measured using nonlinear microscopy.
abstract: Articular cartilage (AC) is a highly anisotropic biomaterial, and its complex mechanical properties have been a topic of intense investigation for over 60 years. Recent advances in the field of nonlinear optics allow the individual constituents of AC to be imaged in living tissue without the need for exogenous contrast agents. Combining mechanical testing with nonlinear microscopy provides a wealth of information about microscopic responses to load. This work investigates the inhomogeneous distribution of strain in loaded AC by tracking the movement and morphological changes of individual chondrocytes using point pattern matching and Bayesian modeling. This information can be used to inform models of mechanotransduction and pathogenesis, and is readily extendable to various other connective tissues.
authors: Department of Physics, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QL, UK. Electronic address: j.s.bell@exeter.ac.uk.
authors: J S
authors: JS
authors: Bell
authors: Department of Computer Science, University of Exeter, North Park Road, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Christmas
authors: Department of Physics, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QL, UK.
authors: J C
authors: JC
authors: Mansfield
authors: Department of Computer Science, University of Exeter, North Park Road, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK.
authors: R M
authors: RM
authors: Everson
authors: Department of Physics, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QL, UK.
authors: C P
authors: CP
authors: Winlove
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D006736:Horses; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D013718:Tensile Strength
keywords: Bayesian modeling; Biomechanics; Cartilage; Microstructure; Nonlinear microscopy