Print Email Facebook Twitter Topographic features of nano-pores within the osteochondral interface and their effects on transport properties –a 3D imaging and modeling study Title Topographic features of nano-pores within the osteochondral interface and their effects on transport properties –a 3D imaging and modeling study Author Pouran, Behdad (University Medical Center Utrecht; MILabs B.V.) Raoof, Amir (Universiteit Utrecht) de Winter, D. A.Matthijs (University Medical Center Utrecht; Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology) Arbabi, V. (TU Delft Biomaterials & Tissue Biomechanics; University Medical Center Utrecht; University of Birjand) Bleys, Ronald L.A.W. (University Medical Center Utrecht) Beekman, F.J. (TU Delft RST/Biomedical Imaging; University Medical Center Utrecht; MILabs B.V.) Zadpoor, A.A. (TU Delft Biomaterials & Tissue Biomechanics) Malda, Jos (University Medical Center Utrecht; Universiteit Utrecht) Weinans, Harrie (TU Delft Biomaterials & Tissue Biomechanics; University Medical Center Utrecht) Date 2021 Abstract Recent insights suggest that the osteochondral interface plays a central role in maintaining healthy articulating joints. Uncovering the underlying transport mechanisms is key to the understanding of the cross-talk between articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Here, we describe the mechanisms that facilitate transport at the osteochondral interface. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), we found a continuous transition of mineralization architecture from the non-calcified cartilage towards the calcified cartilage. This refurbishes the classical picture of the so-called tidemark; a well-defined discontinuity at the osteochondral interface. Using focused-ion-beam SEM (FIB-SEM) on one osteochondral plug derived from a human cadaveric knee, we elucidated that the pore structure gradually varies from the calcified cartilage towards the subchondral bone plate. We identified nano-pores with radius of 10.71 ± 6.45 nm in calcified cartilage to 39.1 ± 26.17 nm in the subchondral bone plate. The extracted pore sizes were used to construct 3D pore-scale numerical models to explore the effect of pore sizes and connectivity among different pores. Results indicated that connectivity of nano-pores in calcified cartilage is highly compromised compared to the subchondral bone plate. Flow simulations showed a permeability decrease by about 2000-fold and solute transport simulations using a tracer (iodixanol, 1.5 kDa with a free diffusivity of 2.5 × 10−10 m2/s) showed diffusivity decrease by a factor of 1.5. Taken together, architecture of the nano-pores and the complex mineralization pattern in the osteochondral interface considerably impacts the cross-talk between cartilage and bone. Subject Nanopore architectureOsteochondral junctionPermeabilityPore -scale modellingSolute transport To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:e92933dd-416f-4249-8c55-833d3cd1133d DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110504 ISSN 0021-9290 Source Journal of Biomechanics, 123 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2021 Behdad Pouran, Amir Raoof, D. A.Matthijs de Winter, V. Arbabi, Ronald L.A.W. Bleys, F.J. Beekman, A.A. Zadpoor, Jos Malda, Harrie Weinans Files PDF 1_s2.0_S0021929021002852_main.pdf 1.71 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:e92933dd-416f-4249-8c55-833d3cd1133d/datastream/OBJ/view