A method for the assessment of the coefficient of friction of articular cartilage and a replacement biomaterial

doi:10.1016/j.jmbbm.2019.103580

Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials

Volume 103, March 2020, 103580

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2019.103580 Get rights and content

Highlights

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This study develops a method for the evaluation of the coefficient of friction for cartilage replacement biomaterials.
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The cartilage/hydrogel-cartilage test adopts a similar coefficient of friction to the cartilage-cartilage test.
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Statistical insignificance exists between cartilage-cartilage, cartilage/hydrogel-cartilage and cartilage-aluminium; p > 0.05.
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High-speed data identifies the largest energy dispersion for cartilage/hydrogel-cartilage, therefore implying greatest wear.

Abstract

Replacement biomaterials for articular cartilage should encourage a coefficient of friction similar to the natural joint. Whilst the literature has assessed the coefficient of friction of articular cartilage against that of a potential biomaterial, it is unknown what the friction of articular cartilage in sliding against a surface defect, repaired with a biomaterial is. This evaluation is crucial to allow for the development of effective biomaterials to closely have the behaviour of articular cartilage. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop a novel technique for the assessment of the coefficient of friction of replacement biomaterials within articular cartilage, with this original testing configuration. For this study, a biomaterial was induced within an artificial defect perforated on the surface of bovine articular cartilage, whilst the material was assessed in sliding against articular cartilage itself. Calcium alginate was selected as the sample biomaterial for evaluation in this study. The tests were performed in sliding on a pin-on-disc tribometer in Ringer's solution. Two further tests were carried out, one as a benchmark comparison of a cartilage pin against a cartilage plate, as well as a cartilage pin against an aluminium plate. A constant induced stress of 0.06 MPa was applied at a frequency of 1 Hz. For the cartilage-cartilage, cartilage/hydrogel-cartilage and cartilage-aluminium test, the overall median coefficient of friction extracted across six repeats was of 0.36, 0.38 and 0.32, respectively. Statistical insignificance was identified across all three groups tested (p > 0.05). Similarity was observed in the coefficient of friction of cartilage-cartilage and cartilage/hydrogel-cartilage tests, however high-speed data identified the greatest wear for the cartilage/hydrogel-cartilage test.

Introduction

Articular cartilage is located at the surface ends of diarthrodial joints (Krishnan et al., 2005), as the load-bearing material (Cilingir, 2015; Krishnan et al., 2005) at the joint interface (Krishnan et al., 2005). The key function of articular cartilage is low friction (Charnley, 1960; Cilingir, 2015). The coefficient of friction of articular cartilage has been reported at values of around 0.010 (Krishnan et al., 2004), measured in sliding against glass, with a sliding velocity 1 mm/s at 4.5 N of constant load (Krishnan et al., 2004). Interstitial fluid pressurisation is thought to aid the low friction associated with articulation of cartilage (Ateshian, 2009; Basalo et al., 2013; Krishnan et al., 2004; Lizhang et al., 2010). Lubrication mechanisms of articular cartilage are divided into boundary (McCutchen, 1962) and fluid-film, which includes hydrodynamic (Tanner, 1966), elastohydrodynamic (Murakami et al., 1998), squeeze-film (Hlavacek, 2000) and weeping (Lewis and McCutchen, 1959). Roughening and loss of the articular cartilage surface is associated with osteoarthritis (Chiang et al., 1997; Li et al., 2013), a disease expected to increase due to increasing risk factors such as obesity (Koszowska et al., 2014).

There are promising results for the use of hydrogels for the replacement of natural tissue (Li et al., 2016), including articular cartilage. Alginate hydrogels are simple to manufacture and biocompatible, closely mimicking the gel component of the extracellular matrix of cartilage (Lee and Mooney, 2013). Calcium alginate, manufactured as a hydrogel which combines alginate polyanions with calcium ions (Drury and Mooney, 2003; Wands et al., 2008) and has potential use in cartilage repair (Liao et al., 2017). The coefficient of friction of calcium alginate has not been previously addressed in the literature, whilst it is crucial to assess its tribological performance for use as a cartilage replacement biomaterial (Cilingir, 2015).

Current techniques evaluate the coefficient of friction of a replacement biomaterial against articular cartilage (Li et al., 2016), or against replacement counterparts, e.g. cobalt chromium molybdenum (Milner et al., 2018) or alumina (Yarimitsu et al., 2016). However, such measurements do not assess the interaction of the replacement biomaterial with cartilage when it is used to repair a defect in the articulating surface. In fact, such analysis of the frictional behaviour of the potential replacement biomaterial would more closely mimic the scenario of a surgical procedure, particularly that of osteochondral grafting, for the transplantation of osteochondral plugs from a non-weight-bearing region to the defect site (Hattori et al., 2007).

The aim of this study was to develop a technique for the evaluation of the coefficient of friction of articular cartilage against an articular cartilage defect repaired with a biomaterial. For this study, three tests were performed in a reciprocating sliding configuration with a plane on plane set-up. A cartilage against cartilage pin-on-plate test was performed to enable a benchmark for comparison of the biomaterial. The second friction test was of cartilage with a small biomaterial replacement, in sliding against cartilage itself, using calcium alginate as the sample biomaterial. A third friction test was performed to provide a standard baseline result of cartilage sliding against aluminium, selected for ease of component manufacture and the non-susceptibility to corrosion.

Section snippets

Articular cartilage tissue storage and handling

Bovine articular cartilage was used as it has similar material properties to those of human articular cartilage (Temple et al., 2016). Eighteen bovine humeral heads were obtained (Dissect Supplies, Kings Heath, Birmingham, UK) from animals of an age range between 18-30 months. Prior to dissection, the humeral heads were stored at − 40 °C in double heat-sealed plastic, wrapped in tissue paper and soaked with full strength Ringer's solution (Oxoid Ltd., Hampshire, UK) (Espino et al., 2014;

Coefficient of friction

A similar median coefficient of friction extracted from the entire dataset for six repeats was measured for both the cartilage against cartilage (C–C) and cartilage/hydrogel against cartilage (C-G) (0.36 and 0.38, respectively; p > 0.05) (Fig. 7). A lower overall median coefficient of friction was measured for cartilage against aluminium (C-M) (0.32; p > 0.05) (Fig. 7). For all assessments of the coefficient of friction (Fig. 7; Fig. 8; Fig. 9), the largest interquartile range (IQR) was

Discussion

This study is the first to develop a method for the assessment of the coefficient of friction of articular cartilage with the incorporation of a replacement biomaterial. Hence, the principal novel aspect of the method developed in this study, is the introduction of the artificial defect on the cartilage surface to allow for the implantation of the biomaterial. The coefficient of friction was then assessed between the biomaterial filled defect and the articular cartilage. Thus, it is worth

Conclusions

The method developed in this study can be applied for future assessments of the coefficient of friction for potential replacement biomaterials of articular cartilage. For the cartilage-cartilage, cartilage/hydrogel-cartilage and cartilage-aluminium tests, the overall median coefficient of friction from the entire data-set was of 0.36, 0.38 and 0.32, respectively; the overall median coefficient of friction obtained from the last 5 min, was of 0.35, 0.36 and 0.28, respectively, whilst the median

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Availability of data and material

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Funding

The experimental equipment used in this research, within the Birmingham Centre for Cryogenic Energy Storage, was obtained with support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, under the eight great technologies: energy storage theme (Grant number EP/L017725/1).

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (grant number EP/J500367/1), the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Lawrence Arthur Foster Scholarship and the Industrial Fellowship of the Royal Commission for

Authors’ contributions

HM carried out articular cartilage specimen preparation, calcium alginate hydrogel preparation, preliminary testing, final experimental work, design of the study, data analysis and drafted the manuscript. DE carried out preliminary testing, manufacturing of rig components and contributed to final experimental work and design of the study. IS carried out final experimental work, data analysis, drafted high speed data results/discussion, contributed in drafting the TE/77 method set-up and

Author statements

Humaira Mahmood: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – Original Draft, Writing – Review & Editing, Visualization, project administration.: David Eckold: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation.: Iestyn Stead: Software, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – Original Draft, Writing – Review & Editing, Visualization.: Duncan Shepherd: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Resources, Writing – Review & Editing, Supervision, Funding

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Lee Gauntlett and Peter Thornton for manufacturing the aluminium test rigs utilised for this study.

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View full text

A method for the assessment of the coefficient of friction of articular cartilage and a replacement biomaterial

Highlights

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Articular cartilage tissue storage and handling

Coefficient of friction

Discussion

Conclusions

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Consent for publication

Availability of data and material

Funding

Authors’ contributions

Author statements

Declaration of competing interest

Acknowledgements

Tribol. Int.

J. Biomech.

J. Biomech.

Mater. Sci. Eng. C

J. Biomech.

Ultrasound Med. Biol.

J. Bionics Eng.

Biomaterials

Osteoarthr. Cartil.

Biomaterials

J. Biomech.

J. Orthop. Res.

J. Biomech.

J. Mech. Behav. Biomed. Mater.

J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Med.

Clin. Biomech.

Wear

Acta Biomater.

Clin. Biomech.

J. Biomech.

Osteoarthr. Cartil.

Mater. Des.

Biosurface and Biotribology

The effect of synthetic polymer lubricants on the friction between common arthroplasty bearing biomaterials for encapsulated spinal implants

Tribol. Int.

The relationship of the compressive modulus of articular cartilage with its deformation response to cyclic loading: does cartilage optimize its modulus so as to minimize the strains arising in it due to the prevalent loading regime?

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