Dresden 2020 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 7: Biomaterials and Biopolymers (joint session BP/CPP)
BP 7.4: Talk
Monday, March 16, 2020, 15:45–16:00, ZEU 250
Visco-elastic properties of albumin films upon periodical mechanical loading — •Lukas Böttcher1, Sven Kraft1, Regina Lange1, Ingo Barke1, Jessica Hembus2, Carmen Zietz2, Rainer Bader2, and Sylvia Speller1 — 1Institute of Physics, University of Rostock, 18059 Rostock — 2Biomechanics and Implant Technology Research Laboratory, University Medical Center Rostock, 18057 Rostock
The synovial fluid in human natural and endoprosthetic joints usually implies outstanding lubrication and low wear. The question is how this fluid or its components, such as albumin and hyaluronic acid, participate in this performance. The high periodic forces acting on the protein in hips and knees during walking lead to changes in protein structure and visco-elastic-plastic behavior. Therefore, we mimic the situation in the joint using a tapping nanoprobe-sample junction in a force microscope. Films from albumin and synthetic synovial fluid are prepared and maintained wet in a humidifying chamber during treatment and data acquisition. Upon applying 200000 cycles at high force of several hundred nN the albumin film has swollen by about 5 nm in height. With increasing mechanical load the film gets softer and ropier. This may be explained in terms of loosening the protein secondary structure and incorporating additional fluid in the pores.