The effect of vanadate on proteoglycan synthesis by cultured rabbit costal chondrocytes was examined. Rabbit chondrocytes were seeded at low densities and grown to confluency in medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, and then the serum concentration was reduced to 0.3%. At the low serum concentration, chondrocytes adopted a fibroblastic morphology. Addition of 4 microM vanadate to the...

Articular cartilage has poor capacity for repair. Once damaged, they degenerate, causing functional impairment of joints. Allogeneic cartilage transplantation has been performed for functional recovery of articular cartilage. However, there is only a limited amount of articular cartilage available for transplantation. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could be potentially suitable for local implant...

In human osteoarthritic chondrocytes, the hyaluronan receptor CD44 undergoes proteolytic cleavage at the cell surface. CD44 cleavage is thought to require transit of CD44 into cholesterol-rich lipid rafts. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether statins exert a protective effect on articular chondrocytes due to diminution of cholesterol. Three model systems of chondrocytes were exa...

OBJECTIVE(S) Protein kinase C (PKCα) is involved in modulating articular chondrocytes apoptosis induced by nitric oxide (NO). Hyaluronic acid (HA) inhibits nitric oxide-induced apoptosis of articular chondrocytes by protecting PKCα, but the mechanism remains unclear. The present study was performed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of PKCα regulate protective effect of hyaluronic acid. ...

The aim of this study was to investigate with tissue engineering procedures the possibility of using atelocollagen honeycomb-shaped scaffolds sealed with a membrane (ACHMS scaffold) for the culturing of chondrocytes to repair articular cartilage defects. Chondrocytes from the articular cartilage of Japanese white rabbits were cultured in ACHMS scaffolds to allow a high-density, three-dimensiona...

In the present study, we tried to examine whether oleanolic acid regulates the activity, secretion and gene expression of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) in primary cultured rabbit articular chondrocytes, as well as the production of MMP-3 in the knee joint of rat to evaluate the potential chondroprotective effect of oleanolic acid. Rabbit articular chondrocytes were cultured in a monolayer,...

Significant oxygen gradients occur within tissue engineered cartilaginous constructs. Although oxygen tension is an important limiting parameter in the development of new cartilage matrix, its precise role in matrix formation by chondrocytes remains controversial, primarily due to discrepancies in the experimental setup applied in different studies. In this study, the specific effects of oxygen...

Objectives. The objective of this paper is to determine if hyaluronan affects bupivacaine's anesthetic function. Methods. Whole cell patch clamp recordings were performed on bovine articular chondrocytes cultured in 60 mm dishes. The chondrocytes were treated with phosphate-buffered saline (control group), 7.5 mg/mL hyaluronan (Orthovisc), 0.25% bupivacaine, or a mixture of 7.5 mg/mL hyaluronan...

BACKGROUND Commercially available fibrin is routinely being used as both a matrix in certain cartilage repair techniques and a method for scaffold fixation. Chondrocytes from non-digested particulated cartilage fragments are proposed as a possible source for new cartilage tissue formation in some operative techniques. The goal of this study was to test that chondrocytes from particulated articu...

We examined the distribution of Notch family members and their ligands during the development of articular cartilage and the growth plate. Notch 1 was expressed by the chondrocytes of the developing articular surface but became increasingly restricted to the deeper layers after birth whilst expression of this family member was restricted to hypertrophic chondrocytes in the growth plate. Notch 2...