The dynamic mechanical viscoelastic properties of the temporomandibular joint disc: The role of collagen and elastin fibers from a perspective of polymer dynamics

S. Fazaeli, S. Ghazanfari, F. Mirahmadi, V. Everts, T.H. Smit, J.H. Koolstra

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The temporomandibular joint disc is a structure, characterized as heterogeneous fibrocartilage, and is composed of macromolecular biopolymers. Despite a large body of characterization studies, the contribution of matrix biopolymers on the dynamic viscoelastic behavior of the disc is poorly understood. Given the high permeability and low concentration of glycosaminoglycans in the disc, it has been suggested that poro-elastic behavior can be neglected and that the intrinsic viscoelastic nature of solid matrix plays a dominant role in governing its time-dependent behavior. This study attempts to quantify the contribution of collagen and elastin fibers to the viscoelastic properties of the disc. Using collagenase and elastase, we perturbed the collagen and elastin fibrillar network in porcine temporomandibular joint discs and investigated the changes of dynamic viscoelastic properties in five different regions of the disc. Following both treatments, the storage and loss moduli of these regions were reduced dramatically up to the point that the tissue was no longer mechanically heterogeneous. However, the proportion of changes in storage and loss moduli were different for each treatment, reflected in the decrease and increase of the loss tangent for collagenase and elastase treated discs, respectively. The reduction of storage and loss moduli of the disc correlated with a decrease of biopolymer length. The present study indicates that the compositional and structural changes of collagen and elastin fibers alter the viscoelastic properties of the disc consistent with polymer dynamics.
Original languageEnglish
Article number103406
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials
Volume100
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2019

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The dynamic mechanical viscoelastic properties of the temporomandibular joint disc: The role of collagen and elastin fibers from a perspective of polymer dynamics'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this