Determination of collagen-proteoglycan interactions in vitro.

The objective of this study was to characterize the physical interactions of the molecular networks formed by mixtures of collagen and proteoglycan in vitro. Pure proteoglycan aggrecan solutions, collagen (type II) suspensions and mixtures of these molecules in varying proportions and concentrations were subjected to viscometric flow measurements using a cone-on-plate viscometer. Linear viscoelastic and non-Newtonian flow properties of these solutions and suspensions were described using a second-order statistical network theory for polymeric fluids (Zhu et al., 1991, J. Biomechanics 24, 1007-1018). This theory provides a set of material coefficients which relate the macroscopic flow behavior of the fluid to an idealized molecular network structure. The results indicated distinct differences between the flow properties of pure collagen suspensions and those of pure proteoglycan solutions. The collagen network showed much greater shear stiffness and more effective energy storage capability than the proteoglycan network. The relative proportion of collagen to proteoglycan is the dominant factor in determining the flow behavior of the mixtures. Analysis of the statistical network theory indicated that the collagen in a collagen-proteoglycan mixture enhances molecular interactions by increasing the amount of entanglement interactions and/or the strength of interaction, while aggrecan acts to reduce the number and/or strength of molecular interactions. These results characterize the physical interactions between type II collagen and aggrecan and provide some insight into their potential roles in giving articular cartilage its mechanical behavior.