Osteoarthritis (OA) represents a final and common pathway for all major traumatic insults to synovial joints. OA is the most common form of degenerative joint disease and a major cause of pain and disability. Despite the global increase in the incidence of OA, there are no effective pharmacotherapies capable of restoring the original structure and function of damaged articular cartilage. Conseq...

The success of cell-based therapies to restore joint cartilage requires an optimal source of reparative progenitor cells and tight control of their differentiation into a permanent cartilage phenotype. Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) has been extensively shown to promote mesenchymal cell differentiation into chondrocytes in vitro and in vivo. Conversely, developmental studies have demonstr...

In autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) to restore defective cartilage, limited cell numbers and dedifferentiation of chondrocytes are the major difficulties. An alternative is the use of growth factors, but their high cost and potential for tumorigenesis are major obstacles. To ensure successful ACI therapy, it is important to find an effective substitute pro-chondrogenic agent. Epigalloc...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to evaluate chondrocyte viability and surface contouring of articular cartilage using confocal laser microscopy (CLM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively, during different treatment time intervals with monopolar and bipolar radiofrequency energy (RFE). TYPE OF STUDY In vitro analysis using chondromalacic human cartilage. METHODS Forty-t...

The deformation behavior and mechanical properties of articular chondrocytes are believed to play an important role in their response to mechanical loading of the extracellular matrix. This study utilized the micropipette aspiration test to measure the viscoelastic properties of chondrocytes isolated from macroscopically normal or end-stage osteoarthritic cartilage. A three-parameter standard l...

Intraflagellar transport proteins (IFT) play important roles in cilia formation and organ development. Partial loss of IFT80 function leads Jeune asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy (JATD) or short-rib polydactyly (SRP) syndrome type III, displaying narrow thoracic cavity and multiple cartilage anomalies. However, it is unknown how IFT80 regulates cartilage formation. To define the role and mechani...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Chondrocyte apoptosis is largely responsible for cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis (OA). Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) is widely used as a chondrocyte apoptosis-inducing agent, while lactoferrin (LF) is an anabolic reagent which has the potential to inhibit chondrocyte apoptosis. We assessed the effects of LF on cartilage degeneration in IL-1β-induced chondrocytes and in a r...

15-Lipoxygenase-1 (15-LO-1) is involved in many pathological processes. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential role of 15-LO-1 in osteoarthritis (OA). The levels of 15-LO-1 expression were measured by western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR in articular cartilage from the OA rat models and OA patients. To further investigate the effects of 15-LO-1 on chondrocyte functi...

INTRODUCTION: Successful repair of full thickness defects to articular cartilage remains a clinical and scientific challenge. The use of fresh osteochondral allografts to replace damaged articular cartilage with healthy tissues harvested from human cadavers is a viable treatment option. Allografts are stored at 4C prior to transplantation to await final culture results that can take two to thre...