Assessment of Changes in Engineered Cartilage Using Infrared Spectroscopy and Mechanical Analysis

Myriad tissue engineering approaches have been proposed to produce engineered cartilage but the resulting tissues generally lack the strength of native cartilage. Suboptimal matrix production may account for the observed lack of strength. Fourier Transform Infrared Imaging Spectroscopy (FT-IRIS) was used to assess the compositional changes in engineered cartilage to further understand the role of matrix formation in mechanics of engineered cartilage.