# CARTILAGE FROM ANIMAL MODELS OF OA & JOINT DISUSE

> **NIH NIH R01** · COLUMBIA UNIV NEW YORK MORNINGSIDE · 1988 · $282,480

## Abstract

The project goals are:  1) to determine biomechanical properties
of knee joint cartilage subjected to joint disuse (JD), disuse
followed by ad libitum recovery (JD+R), disuse followed by
excessive exercise (JD+E) and from the Pond-Nuki procedure for
osteoarthritis (OA); 2) to determine biochemical composition and
proteoglycan polydispersity for the same groups, and 3) to use
the coefficients form the most appropriate theoretical
constitutive models to describe relationships between
biochemical and biochemical changes.  The two fundamental
questions we seek answers for are: 1) why do early atrophic
changes in joint cartilage appear to be reversible, and  2) why do
early OA changes in joint cartilage appear to be irreversible?
"Disuse" of the knee will be induced by preventing weight
bearing for specified periods of time, excessive exercise will be
achieved by a specified treadmill exercise regime, and the Pond-
Nuki model for OA will be achieved by anterior cruciate
ligament resection.  The biomechanical properties to be
determined include: intrinsic tensile and compressive moduli,
tensile strength, kinetic swelling properties (including the
equilibrium Donnan osmotic pressure), permeability, and the
intrinsic viscoelastic shear properties of specimens from high
and low weight bearing areas.  Joint contact areas (defining high
and low weight bearing areas) will be determined by our new
method to generate a computer graphics model of the joint
anatomical surfaces and a computer program simulating
articulation.  Biochemical studies will include characterization
of the proteoglycan aggregates recovered by dissociative
methods from different depths and weight bearing areas of the
cartilage surface.  Of particular interest is the fate of the two
aggregate proteoglycan populations isolated by our rate zonal
centrifugation method, and the aggregating capacity of
monomers from JD JD+R, JD+E, and OA tissues.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3158767
- **Project number:** 5R01AR038733-03
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIV NEW YORK MORNINGSIDE
- **SAM.gov UEI:** F4N1QNPB95M4
- **Principal Investigator:** VAN C MOW
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1988
- **Award amount:** $282,480
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1986-07-01 → 1991-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3158767

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3158767, CARTILAGE FROM ANIMAL MODELS OF OA & JOINT DISUSE (5R01AR038733-03). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-24 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3158767. Licensed CC0.

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