Figure 3

AFM analysis of the effect of PRP on cartilage stiffness and surface topology. Graph showing the change in stiffness (Young’s modulus, kPa) following treatment of cartilage explants for 21 days in culture (A). Surface topography of freshly isolated immature (B) and mature (C) cartilage explant as reference. Ten per cent PRP lysate (G) and growth factor (F) treated explants cultured for 21 days exhibited surface profiles that were similar to mature cartilage (C), whereas untreated explants (E) were closer in profile to freshly isolated immature cartilage (B), scale bar equals 0.5 μm. Diagram showing the experimental setup measuring cartilage biomechanical and topographical properties (D). The laser is deflected by the change in angle of the AFM probe and this deflection correlates with tissue biomechanical properties.