BACKGROUND Notochordal cell conditioned medium (NCCM) derived from non-chondrodystrophic dogs has pro-anabolic and anti-catabolic effects upon nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. Here, for the first time, we assessed the ability of NCCM to influence the production of extracellular matrix and inflammatory proteins by healthy and osteoarthritic human chondrocytes within engineered cartilage tissues. We ...

INTRODUCTION In the present study, we sought to quantify and contrast the secretome and biomechanical properties of the non-chondrodystrophic (NCD) and chondrodystrophic (CD) canine intervertebral disc (IVD) nucleus pulposus (NP). METHODS We used iTRAQ proteomic methods to quantify the secretome of both CD and NCD NP. Differential levels of proteins detected were further verified using immuno...

Proteoglycans extracted with 4 M guanidinium chloride from young (mean 20 years) or old (mean 79 years) macroscopically normal human articular cartilage were separated by density gradient centrifugation and Q-Sepharose chromatography and characterized by gradient gel SDS/PAGE and immunodetection before and after removal of glycosaminoglycan chains. The extracts contained two large populations o...

The protein kinase C (PKC) signaling, a major regulator of chondrocytic differentiation, has been also implicated in pathological extracellular matrix remodeling, and here we investigate the mechanism of PKCε-dependent regulation of the chondrocytic phenotype in human nucleus pulposus (NP) cells derived from herniated disks. NP cells from each donor were successfully propagated for 25+ culture ...

The constitution and biophysical properties of extracellular matrices can dramatically influence cellular phenotype during development, homeostasis, or pathogenesis. These effects can be signaled through a differentially regulated assembly of collagen fibrils, orchestrated by a family of collagenassociated Small Leucine-Rich Proteins, SLRPs. In this report, we describe the tissue-specific expre...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are members of an enzyme family that require a zinc ion in their active site for catalytic activity. MMPs are critical for maintaining tissue allostasis. MMPs are active at neutral pH and can therefore catalyze the normal turnover of extracellular matrix (ECM) macromolecules such as the interstitial and basement membrane collagens, proteoglycans such as aggrecan...

Flexor tendinopathy is a common problem affecting humans and animals. Tendon healing is poorly understood and the outcomes of conservative and surgical management are often suboptimal. While often considered a localized injury, recent evidence indicates that in the short term, tendinopathic changes are distributed widely throughout the tendon, remote from the lesion itself. Whether these change...

INTRODUCTION Back pain, a significant source of morbidity in our society, is related to the degenerative changes of the intervertebral disc. At present, the treatment of disc disease consists of therapies that are aimed at symptomatic relief. This shortcoming stems in large part from our lack of understanding of the biochemical and molecular events that drive the disease process. The goal of th...