Raman Spectroscopy of Bone and Cartilage - Emerging Raman Applications and Techniques in Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Fields - page 355

revealed low sulfation of proteoglycan and the amount of chondroitin 4-sulfate
was decreased relative to chondroitin 6-sulfate [93].
The role of subchondral bone has been examined in current models of
osteoarthritis because a common indication of osteoarthritis is thickening of
the subchondral bone plate. Radiography and imaging studies have shown
alterations in bone architecture and chemistry in addition to plate thickening
[94-97]. However, it is still unclear if subchondral bone damage occurs be-
fore cartilage damage or if bone tissue is altered to compensate for cartilage
damage. Pathological mineralization of subchondral bone, cartilage matrix
vesicles, and cartilage have been examined using Raman and synchrotron
infrared spectroscopy. Infrared microscopy of subchondral bone was first re-
ported in 1998 by Miller et al. [98]. Effects of age and defective type II collagen
formation on murine subchondral bone were reported by Dehring et al. [99].
In this study, subchondral bone specimens from normal mice and Del 1 (+ / )

transgenic mice, a mouse model for early-onset osteoarthritis, were examined
using Raman spectroscopy.

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14.10 Conclusions

In the past decade Raman spectroscopy has assumed an important role in
musculoskeletal tissue studies, especially in bone tissue studies. Applications
to a wide range of problems in basic biology, biomechanics, and medicine
have appeared in the journal literature. Most workers have used cell cultures
or excised bone tissue, including human biopsy and cadaveric tissue. We ex-
pect that Raman spectroscopy will become increasingly important in such
studies, as more life scientists and engineers learn how to employ it. Just as
importantly, recent reports of non-invasive spectroscopy suggest that Raman
spectroscopy may have a role in human subjects studies of bone development,
function, and disease.

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