Anti-inflammatory activity of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol in human articular cartilage in vitro: activation of an anti-inflammatory cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) pathway.

Introduction: The mono- and digalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG and DGDG) galactolipids have been purified from the thermophilic blue-green alga Phormidium sp. ETS-05 that colonizes the therapeutic thermal mud of Abano Terme and Montegrotto Terme, Italy. Both compounds present a marked composition in polyunsaturated fatty acids, mainly omega-3.

Monogalactosyldiacylglycerol anti-inflammatory activity on adult articular cartilage.

The mono- and the digalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG and DGDG) galactolipids with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, mainly omega-3, have been purified from the thermophilic blue-green alga ETS-05 that colonises the therapeutic thermal mud of Abano and Montegrotto, Italy. The therapeutic thermal mud is applied mostly to osteoarthritic cartilage patients. In the present study, a possible anti-inflammatory function of MGDG in cartilage has been studied in the avian articular cartilage model.

Patients with oral erosive and cutaneous lichen planus may have antibodies directed against the chronic ulcerative stomatitis protein antigen of 70-kDa.

Objective: The aim of this study is to verify whether stratified epithelium-specific antinuclear antibodies are present in the sera of patients with erosive oral lichen planus and cutaneous lichen planus.

Methods: We studied the pre-immune and immune serum of a rabbit immunized with a peptide corresponding to the N-terminus of the 70-kDa antigen chronic ulcerative stomatitis protein; sera from two patients, one with oral erosive lichen planus and one with cutaneous lichen planus who presented stratified epithelium-specific antinuclear antibodies at high titer; and a third serum from a patient with cutaneous lichen planus without stratified epithelium-specific antinuclear antibodies.

Results: We demonstrated that the protein bands recognized by the serum of the rabbit immunized with an epitope of chronic ulcerative stomatitis protein co-migrated by SDS-PAGE with the protein bands recognized by the serum of a patient affected by oral erosive lichen planus and by the serum of a patient with cutaneous lichen planus, both containing antibodies directed against a 70-kDa antigen.

15-deoxy-delta 12,14-prostaglandin J(2) inhibits the synthesis of the acute phase protein SIP24 in cartilage: Involvement of COX-2 in resolution of inflammation.

We previously demonstrated that, in the MC615 cartilage cell line, the p38/NF-kB pathway is activated both during differentiation and in response to an inflammatory stimulus. In both cases, the p38/NF-kB pathway activation leads to the expression of the lipocalin SIP24 and of COX-2. Given the fact that, in the same cells, the COX-2 expression is sustained during the inflammation resolution, at the same time that the SIP24 expression is suppressed, in the present study we tested the hypothesis that COX-2 products play a role in SIP24 repression.

A common pathway in differentiation and inflammation: p38 mediates expression of the acute phase SIP24 iron binding lipocalin in chondrocytes.

SIP24 is an acute phase iron binding lipocalin physiologically expressed in vivo in developing cartilage by prehypertrophic/hypertrophic chondrocytes. Taking advantage of the chondrocytic cell line MC615 and using SIP24 as a marker we investigated the pathways active in cartilage differentiation and inflammation. MC615 cells were cultured as: (i) proliferating prechondrogenic cells expressing type I collagen (ii) differentiated hyperconfluent cells expressing Sox9 and type II collagen.

Molecular characterization and developmental expression pattern of the chicken apolipoprotein D gene: implications for the evolution of vertebrate lipocalins.

The insect Lazarillo and the mammalian apolipoprotein D (ApoD) are orthologous members of the lipocalin protein family. We report the cloning and embryonic expression of chicken ApoD, the first molecularly characterized nonmammalian ApoD. We also report the ApoD expression in mouse during postnatal development and some novel aspects of the expression of the paralogous lipocalin prostaglandin D-synthase (PGDS) and discuss these results in view of the lipocalin family evolution in vertebrates.

Expression of serum amyloid A in chondrocytes and myoblasts differentiation and inflammation: possible role in cholesterol homeostasis.

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is synthesized by the liver during the acute phase. Local expression of SAA mRNA has been reported also in non-liver cells, a potential local source of SAA protein not related to the systemic acute phase response. SAA function has not been established yet.

Inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis by ExFABP gene targeting.

Ex-FABP, an extracellular fatty acid binding lipocalin, is physiologically expressed by differentiating chicken chondrocytes and myoblasts. Its expression is enhanced after cell treatment with inflammatory stimuli and repressed by anti-inflammatory agents, behaving as an acute phase protein. Chicken liver fragments in culture show enhanced protein expression after bacterial endotoxin treatment.

The human melanoma associated protein melanotransferrin promotes endothelial cell migration and angiogenesis in vivo.

Melanotransferrin is a member of the transferrin family, which is comprised of serum transferrin, lactoferrin and ovotransferrin, and is highly expressed on melanoma cells compared to normal melanocytes. Since melanoma is an highly vascularized tumour that expresses melanotransferrin at high levels, we tested purified recombinant melanotransferrin for its capability to induce angiogenesis in the chick chorioallantoic membrane. Macroscopic and microscopic evaluation of the vascular density demonstrated that melanotransferrin exerts an angiogenic response quantitatively similar to that elicited by fibroblast growth factor-2.

Ex-FABP, extracellular fatty acid binding protein, is a stress lipocalin expressed during chicken embryo development.

Extracellular Fatty Acid Binding Protein (Ex-FABP) is a 21 kDa lipocalin, expressed during chicken embryo development in hypertrophic cartilage, in muscle fibres and in blood granulocyte. The protein selectively binds with high affinity fatty acids, preferably long chain unsaturated fatty acids in chondrocyte and myoblast cultures Ex-FABP expression is increased by inflammatory-agents and repressed by anti-inflammatory-agents. In adult cartilage, Ex-FABP is expressed only in pathological conditions such as in dyschondroplastic and osteoarthritic chicken cartilage.