Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have found that collagen changes its crystallinity in response to physical forces, suggesting that the ordered arrangement in collagen molecules of knee cartilage switches from one structural state to another as people walk.

The study’s results, which shed new light on how cartilage is able to withstand the demanding mechanical environment of the joint, may help to explain why cartilage breaks down with aging or with arthritis.
"The response of collagen to physical forces is critical to the function of cartilage in our joints, and therefore understanding this behavior may help us develop new strategies to prevent cartilage degradation," said the study’s coauthor Prof. Martin Knight. Learn more...