Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
1998-7-23
pubmed:abstractText
The hydration of articular cartilage is an essential determinant of its load bearing capacity. Here we have examined the dependence of the amount of intrafibrillar water, associated with the collagen molecules in both native and PG-depleted cartilage specimens, on the pH and ionic strength of the bathing solution, in the presence and absence of an externally applied pressure. We found that high ionic strength reduces the collagen intermolecular spacing over a large pH range: this is consistent with the electrostatic nature of the interactions between the charged groups within the intrafibrillar space. We also found that as the pH is lowered from neutral to approximately 3, there is, as expected, a gradual increase in the overall positive charge of the intrafibrillar compartment. However, surprisingly, this is not accompanied by an increase in the intrafibrillar hydration; only at pH 1.8 does the amount of intrafibrillar water increase markedly. We suggest that, rather than overall intrafibrillar charge, it is specific local axial and azimuthal relationships among collagen molecules in the fibril, and more particularly, among their charged amino acid residues, that determine the intermolecular collagen spacing, and hence intrafibrillar hydration.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jun
pubmed:issn
0006-3002
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
5
pubmed:volume
1381
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
37-48
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1998
pubmed:articleTitle
The effects of pH and ionic strength on intrafibrillar hydration in articular cartilage.
pubmed:affiliation
Chemical Services Unit, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S., Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't