Permeability of articular cartilage.

Abstract

IN 1962, McCutcheon1 first drew attention to a decrease in the permeability of articular cartilage with increasing depth from the surface. This observation has been confirmed2 and the permeability shown to be inversely related to the fixed charge density of the cartilage matrix. In turn the fixed charge density can be shown to be a direct measure of the mucopolysaccharide content of the matrix (unpublished results of A. Maroudas and H. Muir).