Open AccessBrillouin micro-spectroscopy of subchondral, trabecular bone and articular cartilage of the human femoral head
Author(s) -
Martina Alunni Cardinali,
Dante Dallari,
Marco Govoni,
Cesare Stagni,
Federico Marmi,
Matilde Tschon,
Silvia Brogini,
D. Fioretto,
Assunta Morresi
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
biomedical optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.362
H-Index - 86
ISSN - 2156-7085
DOI - 10.1364/boe.10.002606
Subject(s) - materials science , cartilage , femoral head , subchondral bone , brillouin spectroscopy , biomedical engineering , trabecular bone , collagen fibril , articular cartilage , modulus , brillouin scattering , osteoarthritis , anatomy , optics , composite material , laser , medicine , osteoporosis , pathology , physics , alternative medicine
Brillouin micro-spectroscopy is applied for investigating the mechanical properties of bone and cartilage tissues of a human femoral head. Distinctive mechanical properties of the cartilage surface, subchondral and trabecular bone are reported, with marked heterogeneities at both micrometric and millimetric length scales. A ubiquitous soft component is reported for the first time, characterized by a longitudinal modulus of about 4.3 GPa, possibly related to the amorphous phase of the bone. This phase is mixed, at micrometric scales, with a harder component, ascribed to mineralized collagen fibrils, characterized by a longitudinal modulus ranging between 16 and 25 GPa.