The GAG Quantification in Articular Cartilage Depends on the Mechanical Strain & Gadolinium Concentration - A Microscopic MRI Study

Nian Wang¹, Yang Xia¹

To investigate the effects of mechanical strain and gadolinium (Gd) concentration on the quantitative determination of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in articular cartilage, MRI T1 procedure was used to map the depth-dependent profiles of Gd and GAG in cartilage at 17.6m pixel resolution. T1 in native tissue (without the presence of Gd ions) was both strain-dependent and depth-dependent. Compression reduced the tissue T1 when the Gd concentration was low, but enhanced the tissue T1 when the Gd concentration was high. The loading or loading history of patients should therefore be considered in any dGEMRIC-like procedure, if the GAG quantification is desired.