A solid-state NMR comparison of the mineral structure in bone from diseased joints in the horse

In this work, subchondral cortical bone material is investigated from the joints of five horses, three of which presented with no clinical signs or radiographic signs of osteoarthritis and two of which suffered osteoarthritis joint disease, as judged by clinical and radiographic assessment and histological findings. The horse is a good model for osteoarthritis in humans, so the aim of this study is to use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for a detailed investigation of the bone structure in bone material affected by osteoarthritis. In particular, we report on the assessment of the mineral structure of these samples as viewed by solid-state NMR.