New thermogravimetric protocol for the investigation of normal and damaged human hyaline cartilage

Osteoarthritis, although classically conceived of as a degenerative consequence of aging, is a disease with an increasingly well-characterized molecular pathophysiology. Pathologic changes in cartilage composition and molecular organization, as well as elevated water content, alter the exquisite balance of biomechanical properties. Much of what is known about changes in the extracellular matrix in osteoarthritis comes from animal models. Previously, thermogravimetric methods have not been used for compositional thermoanalytical study of normal and degenerative human hyaline cartilage. For this reason the research group established a sufficient new thermogravimetric protocol, which proved water content elevation contributing to disease progression.