Members of the ADAMTS (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs) family are known to influence development, angiogenesis, coagulation and progression of arthritis. As proteinases their substrates include the von Willebrand factor precursor and extracellular matrix components such as procollagen, hyalectans (hyaluronan-binding proteoglycans including aggrecan), decorin, fib...

Inflammation is an immune response that the host organism eliminates threats from foreign objects or endogenous signals. It plays a key role in progression, prognosis as well therapy of diseases. Chronic inflammatory diseases have been regarded main cause death worldwide at present, which greatly affect vast number individuals, producing economic and social burdens. Thus, developing drugs targe...

The predominant proteoglycan present in cartilage is the large chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 'aggrecan'. Following its secretion, aggrecan self-assembles into a supramolecular structure with as many as 50 monomers bound to a filament of hyaluronan. Aggrecan serves a direct, primary role providing the osmotic resistance necessary for cartilage to resist compressive loads. Other proteoglycans ...