EAPSI: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Correlation Studies for Identification of Water and Polymer Populat

Mailhiot Sarah, Bozeman MT

Investigators

Abstract

The mobility of fluid and the structure of viscoelastic substances such as gels is important to human health and many key industries. One example of a gel is articular cartilage, the tissue that lines joints and allows for efficient motion such as walking. This study conducts nuclear magnetic resonance correlation studies to characterize the fluid mobility and pore structure of a model cartilage, aiming to identify water and polymer populations in a complex biopolymer system. The information will improve understanding about the relationship between polymer systems and water in a viscoelastic substance. Although these studies focus on cartilage models, many mammalian tissues and many commercial applications are dependent on water and polymer diffusion and how they interact, suggesting potential broad impact to the work. The project is a collaboration with Dr. Petrik Galvosas at the McDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology at Wellington University in New Zealand and enables a U.S. graduate student to learn new techniques to expand her skillset as an experimentalist. Articular cartilage is a mammalian tissue that is not connected to the blood stream and is therefore dependent on molecular mobility of water for nutrient flow and survival. It is also a complex heterogeneous, anisotropic, polymer composite composed of fluid, collagen, and proteoglycans. This study will used Pulsed Field Gradient (PFG) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to characterize the internal structure of a model cartilage, collagen hydrogels, as a function of collagen content. This information is critical to understanding the structure-function relationship of articular cartilage, and in general, gels. The findings will be applicable to fields such as drug development, animal range sciences, and plant physiology. This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Royal Society of New Zealand.