Abstract
The avascular intervertebral disc (IVD) receives nutrition via transport from surrounding vasculature; poor nutrition is believed to be a main cause of disc degeneration. In this study, we investigated the effects of mechanical deformation and anisotropy on the transport of two important nutrients--oxygen and glucose--in human annulus fibrosus (AF). The diffusivities of oxygen and glucose were measured under three levels of uniaxial confined compression--0, 10, and 20%--and in three directions--axial, circumferential, and radial. The glucose partition coefficient was also measured at three compression levels. Results for glucose and oxygen diffusivity in AF ranged from 4.46 × 10(-7) to 9.77 × 10(-6) cm(2)/s and were comparable to previous studies; the glucose partition coefficient ranged from 0.71 to 0.82 and was also similar to previous results. Transport properties were found to decrease with increasing deformation, likely caused by fluid exudation during tissue compression and reduction in pore size. Furthermore, diffusivity in the radial direction was lower than in the axial or circumferential directions, indicating that nutrient transport in human AF is anisotropic. This behavior is likely a consequence of the layered structure and unique collagen architecture of AF tissue. These findings are important for better understanding nutritional supply in IVD and related disc degeneration.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2551-2558 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Annals of Biomedical Engineering |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| State | Published - 2012 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biomedical Engineering
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Nutrient transport in human annulus fibrosus is affected by compressive strain and anisotropy. / Jackson, Alicia R.; Yuan, Tai Yi; Huang, Chun Yuh; Brown, Mark D.; Gu, Wei Yong.
In: Annals of Biomedical Engineering, Vol. 40, No. 12, 2012, p. 2551-2558.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Nutrient transport in human annulus fibrosus is affected by compressive strain and anisotropy.
AU - Jackson, Alicia R.
AU - Yuan, Tai Yi
AU - Huang, Chun Yuh
AU - Brown, Mark D.
AU - Gu, Wei Yong
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - The avascular intervertebral disc (IVD) receives nutrition via transport from surrounding vasculature; poor nutrition is believed to be a main cause of disc degeneration. In this study, we investigated the effects of mechanical deformation and anisotropy on the transport of two important nutrients--oxygen and glucose--in human annulus fibrosus (AF). The diffusivities of oxygen and glucose were measured under three levels of uniaxial confined compression--0, 10, and 20%--and in three directions--axial, circumferential, and radial. The glucose partition coefficient was also measured at three compression levels. Results for glucose and oxygen diffusivity in AF ranged from 4.46 × 10(-7) to 9.77 × 10(-6) cm(2)/s and were comparable to previous studies; the glucose partition coefficient ranged from 0.71 to 0.82 and was also similar to previous results. Transport properties were found to decrease with increasing deformation, likely caused by fluid exudation during tissue compression and reduction in pore size. Furthermore, diffusivity in the radial direction was lower than in the axial or circumferential directions, indicating that nutrient transport in human AF is anisotropic. This behavior is likely a consequence of the layered structure and unique collagen architecture of AF tissue. These findings are important for better understanding nutritional supply in IVD and related disc degeneration.
AB - The avascular intervertebral disc (IVD) receives nutrition via transport from surrounding vasculature; poor nutrition is believed to be a main cause of disc degeneration. In this study, we investigated the effects of mechanical deformation and anisotropy on the transport of two important nutrients--oxygen and glucose--in human annulus fibrosus (AF). The diffusivities of oxygen and glucose were measured under three levels of uniaxial confined compression--0, 10, and 20%--and in three directions--axial, circumferential, and radial. The glucose partition coefficient was also measured at three compression levels. Results for glucose and oxygen diffusivity in AF ranged from 4.46 × 10(-7) to 9.77 × 10(-6) cm(2)/s and were comparable to previous studies; the glucose partition coefficient ranged from 0.71 to 0.82 and was also similar to previous results. Transport properties were found to decrease with increasing deformation, likely caused by fluid exudation during tissue compression and reduction in pore size. Furthermore, diffusivity in the radial direction was lower than in the axial or circumferential directions, indicating that nutrient transport in human AF is anisotropic. This behavior is likely a consequence of the layered structure and unique collagen architecture of AF tissue. These findings are important for better understanding nutritional supply in IVD and related disc degeneration.
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M3 - Article
C2 - 22669503
AN - SCOPUS:85027956815
VL - 40
SP - 2551
EP - 2558
JO - Annals of Biomedical Engineering
JF - Annals of Biomedical Engineering
SN - 0090-6964
IS - 12
ER -