Comparison of calcified cartilage between normal and osteoarthritis human knee specimens based on 3D synchrotron nano-computed tomography images with phase contrast: a preliminary study

Abstract

Purpose: The articular cartilage is organized into distinct regions, from superficial to deep zones and calcified cartilage. In osteoarthritis (OA), a thickening of the calcified cartilage zone was observed based on a histological approach. The interaction (crosstalk) between cartilage and subchondral bone is thought to be a central feature of the OA process. A better understanding of this process will help to improve therapeutic strategies: to target bone or cartilage or modify the crosstalk? A preliminary study performed in our group indicates that there are thicker subchondral plates with lower porosity in case of OA compared to controls subjects but the differences were not significant, due to a lack of precision of conventional micro-computed tomography performed with a voxel size of 10 μm, too coarse given the small size of pores.