Analysis of Collagen Fiber Orientation in Bone of Different Aged Rats Using FTIR Imaging

Abstract

Bone is mainly composed of type I collagen, hydroxyapatite, and water. Bone strength is increased in bone formation and reflects 70% bone mineral density (BMD) and 30% bone quality; however, BMD is clinically used to assess bone strength. In this work, we analyzed collagen fiber orientation in femur of different aged rats using infrared (IR) dichroism image due to assess consequences of collagen fiber orientation for bone strength. IR dichroism images indicated that the degree of collagen fiber orientation in rat femur was increased until 33 weeks old at least, and it can affect bone strength.

Keywords:

• bone
• FTIR imaging
• IR dichroism
• collagen fiber orientation
• collagen maturity

Acknowledgment

A part of this work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 24591237.