Articular cartilage from the femoral heads of 27 patients having an arthroplasty for subcapital fracture was studied, and its mechanical and chemical properties compared to those of a group of 33 age-matched macroscopically normal autopsy specimens. Water and proteoglycan contents were measured, as were swelling ability, compressive and tensile strength of the cartilage, and the density of the underlying bone. Cartilage from the fracture specimens had a significantly reduced proteoglycan content, as measured by fixed charge density, and increased swelling ability. These results indicate that this group differs from the "normal" population and care should be taken before they are accepted as control material for studies on osteoarthritic cartilage. Another finding was that bone density was much the same in the fracture and the normal group. This casts some doubt upon the concept that patients who sustain subcapital fractures are more osteoporotic than the average for the same age range.

We studied the mechanical and biochemical properties of articular cartilage from 22 osteoarthritic femoral heads obtained at operation and 97 femoral heads obtained at autopsy. Cartilage from the zenith and from the antero-inferior aspect of each head was tested both in tension and in compression. Water content, swelling ability and proteoglycan content were measured, the cartilage was examined histologically and the density of the underlying bone was assessed. Fifty-five of the autopsy specimens were defined as macroscopically normal because they exhibited no progressive fibrillation patterns on staining with Indian ink; but significant changes in water content, bone density and tensile strength related to age were seen in this group. In 20 pairs of femoral heads which were both macroscopically normal, we found, surprisingly, that cartilage from the left and right sides of the same patient was sometimes very different. Compared with the normal autopsy specimens the osteoarthritic specimens had a significantly increased swelling ability, a lower proteoglycan content and impaired mechanical properties, being both weaker in tension and softer in compression. Abnormal autopsy specimens had values intermediate between those of osteoarthritic and normal groups. Results from this abnormal group suggest that there is no primary loss of proteoglycan in early osteoarthritis.