Distribution of Nanomechanical Properties and Mineralization of the Osteochondral Interface in the Femoral Head

Stiff vertebral bone and compliant hyaline articular cartilage (HAC) anchor together through a thin (∼100’s of microns) region of articular calcified cartilage (ACC). This bone–cartilage, or osteochondral (OC), interface may play a role in osteoarthritis pathogenesis through increased mineralization, disrupting loading, and damaging neighboring tissues [1,2]. Load transmission through OC regions is poorly understood, thus limiting understanding of disease progression and ability to engineer OC interface-like tissues [3].