Effect of IL-1β-Induced Macromolecular Depletion on Residual Quadrupolar Interaction in Articular Cartilage

Purpose—Sodium multiple-quantum filtered (MQF) NMR spectroscopy may potentially be used to measure proteoglycan (PG) depletion in cartilage caused by osteoarthritis (OA). The purpose of this work was to quantify the effect of interleukin-1 (IL-1β)-induced macromolecule depletion on the residual quadrupolar interaction (RQI) of sodium in bovine cartilage plugs. Materials and Methods—Fifteen 8-mm-diameter cartilage plug specimens were cored from the articular surface of fresh bovine patellae. All plugs were kept in culture media and nine of the plugs were subjected to interleukin-1 (IL-1β)-induced degeneration of cartilage for 4, 6, and 7 days. Sodium NMR spectra were obtained from each sample with a 1-cm-diameter solenoid coil in a 2T whole-body magnet interfaced to a custom-built spectrometer. We employed a previously described theoretical model to analyze triple-quantum filtered (TQF) and double-quantum filtered magic angle (DQFMA) spectra obtained from normal cartilage and cartilage treated with IL-1β. The model assumes a static Gaussian distribution of the RQI frequency, ωQ, in the sample. TQF and DQFMA spectra from each sample were fitted with the appropriate signal expressions to determine σ (the root mean square (RMS) ωQ), T2f, and T2s. An inversion-recovery sequence was used to determine T1 o