Introduction: The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc is a structure that is poorly understood. Objective: Our goal was to better understand the structure of the temporomandibular joint disc by examining the biochemical components, their quantities, and arrangement within the disc. The major components focused on within the disc were three glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)--chondroitin-4-sulfate, chondroitin-6-sulfate, and keratan sulfate. The significance of this research project was to facilitate the clarification of the structure-function relationships of the TMJ disc and provide validated information for the construction of the tissue engineered disc. Methods: Four porcine TMJ discs were harvested and divided into 18 sections. A quantitative ELISA technique was used to compare the regions of the disc. Results: The total dry weight of the GAGs found was 7.08%. Comprised of chondroitin-6-sulfate totaling 3.58%, chondroitin-4-sulfate being 2.91%, and keratan sulfate equaling 0.58%. There was no difference between the superior and inferior regions of the disc, when comparing the regions for keratan sulfate we also did not find any difference. In the anteroposterior direction more GAGs were observed in the intermediate zone than in the anterior band, and the posterior band contained significantly lower numbers than the other regions. Mediolaterally the most chondroitin sulfate found was in the medial region, followed by the central region which contained more chondroitin sulfate than the lateral region. Conclusion: GAG content in the disc was analyzed in three dimensions for the first time and values were compared along all three planes. The distribution of the GAGs correlates well with compression tests done previously on the TMJ disc.

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