Avocado/Soybean Unsaponifiables, Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate Combination Inhibits Proinflammatory COX-2 Expression and Prostaglandin E2 Production in Tendon-Derived Cells.

Tendinopathy, a common disorder in man and horses, is characterized by pain, dysfunction, and tendon degeneration. Inflammation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of tendinopathy. Tendon cells produce proinflammatory molecules that induce pain and tissue deterioration.

Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Carprofen Is Enhanced by Avocado/Soybean Unsaponifiables, Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate Combination in Chondrocyte Microcarrier Spinner Culture.

Objective: Osteoarthritis is a painful, chronic joint disease affecting man and animals with no known curative therapies. Palliative nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used but they cause adverse side effects prompting the search for safer alternatives. To address this need, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory activity of avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASU), glucosamine (GLU), and chondroitin sulfate (CS) with or without the NSAID carprofen.

α-Lipoic Acid Potentiates the Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Avocado/Soybean Unsaponifiables in Chondrocyte Cultures.

Objective Pro-inflammatory mediators such as prostaglandin E-2 (PGE) play major roles in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). Although current pharmacologic treatments reduce inflammation, their prolonged use is associated with deleterious side effects prompting the search for safer and effective alternative strategies. The present study evaluated whether chondrocyte production of PGE can be suppressed by the combination of avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASU) and α-lipoic acid (LA).

Expression of pro-inflammatory mediators is inhibited by an avocado/soybean unsaponifiables and epigallocatechin gallate combination.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by inflammation, joint immobility, and pain. Non-pharmacologic agents modulating pro-inflammatory mediator expression offer considerable promise as safe and effective treatments for OA. We previously determined the anti-inflammatory effect of an avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASU) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) combination on prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) translocation.

Modulation of inflammation and oxidative stress in canine chondrocytes.

Objective: To determine whether oxidative stress could be induced in canine chondrocytes in vitro.

Sample: Chondrocytes obtained from healthy adult mixed-breed dogs.

Procedures: Harvested chondrocytes were maintained at 37°C with 5% CO2 for 24 hours.

Hepatoprotective effects of S-adenosylmethionine and silybin on canine hepatocytes in vitro.

Inflammation and oxidative stress are associated with liver injury and development of liver disease. The transcription factors nuclear factor-kappa beta (NF-κB) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) play critical roles in modulating liver injury and damage. Activation of NF-κB induces production of pro-inflammatory molecules including prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 ), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and macrophage chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1).

Centrifugation assay for measuring adhesion of serially passaged bovine chondrocytes to polystyrene surfaces.

A major obstacle in chondrocyte-based therapy for cartilage repair is the limited availability of cells that maintain their original phenotype. Propagation of chondrocytes as monolayer cultures on polystyrene surfaces is used extensively for amplifying cell numbers. However, chondrocytes undergo a phenotypic shift when propagated in this manner and display characteristics of more adherent fibroblastic cells.

Micropatterned agarose scaffolds covalently modified with collagen for culture of normal and neoplastic hepatocytes.

Anchorage-dependent cells including hepatocytes, the main functional cellular constituent comprising liver tissue, require a substrate for cell adhesion when cultured outside their native tissue. The challenge with hepatocyte culture is that material substrates and designs supporting hepatocyte attachment, phenotype, and function are not readily available. Our laboratory previously published that type I collagen found in the liver extracellular matrix supports hepatocyte culture.

Silybin inhibits interleukin-1β-induced production of pro-inflammatory mediators in canine hepatocyte cultures.

Hepatocytes are highly susceptible to cytokine stimulation and are fundamental to liver function. We established primary canine hepatocyte cultures to study effects of anti-inflammatory agents with hepatoprotective properties. Hepatocyte cultures were incubated with control media alone, silybin (SB), or the more bioavailable silybin-phosphatidylcholine complex (SPC), followed by activation with interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β; 10 ng/mL).

Modulation of cytokine-induced prostaglandin E₂ production in cultures of articular chondrocytes obtained from carpal joints of camels (Camelus dromedarius).

Objective: To determine whether camel articular chondrocytes can be maintained in tissue culture without phenotype loss and whether the response to cytokine stimulation can be modulated.

Sample Population: Cartilage from 4 carpal joints of healthy adult dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius).

Procedures: Chondrocytes were evaluated for type II collagen and aggrecan production They were incubated with control media or with 2 test mixtures (alone and then in combination) that have anti-inflammatory activity (avocado-soybean unsaponifiables, glucosamine, and chondroitin sulfate [ie, ASU + GLU + CS] and pentosan polysulfate and N-acetyl glucosamine [ie, PPS + NG]).

Consil bioactive glass particles enhance osteoblast proliferation and selectively modulate cell signaling pathways in vitro.

Consil Bioglass is a commercially available bioactive glass formulation previously shown in clinical studies to support osteogenesis and the repair of bony defects in dogs and cats. Previous in vitro studies confirm that Consil particles are able to bond directly with bone while promoting osteoblast proliferation and extracellular matrix production. However, the cellular mechanisms mediating their clinical effect remain unclear.

Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 expression and prostaglandin E2 production in chondrocytes by avocado soybean unsaponifiables and epigallocatechin gallate.

Objective: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of the combination of avocado soybean unsaponifiables (ASU) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) production in cytokine-activated equine chondrocytes.

Methods: Production of type II collagen and aggrecan was verified by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Chondrocytes were incubated with: (1) control media alone, (2) ASU (4 microg/ml; 8.

Consil bioactive glass particles enhance osteoblast proliferation and maintain extracellular matrix production in vitro.

Bioactive glasses are used clinically as bone implant materials as they are able to bond directly with bone. Studies in dogs have demonstrated the utility of Consil Bioglass synthetic bone graft particulate, a commercially available bioactive glass formulation, as a bone substitute for repair of bony defects. We evaluated the effect of Consil particles (500 microg/mL) on osteoblast proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) production at the cellular level in vitro.

Avocado soybean unsaponifiables (ASU) suppress TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, COX-2, iNOS gene expression, and prostaglandin E2 and nitric oxide production in articular chondrocytes and monocyte/macrophages.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of avocado soybean unsaponifiables (ASU) on proinflammatory mediators in chondrocytes and monocyte/macrophage-like cells.

Design: To determine the dose response of ASU, chondrocytes (5 x 10(5) cells/well) were incubated at 5% CO(2), 37 degrees C for 72 h with (1) control media alone or (2) ASU at concentrations of 0.3, 0.

Extraction and characterization of metallic wear debris from total joint arthroplasty.

Wear debris generated from total joint arthroplasty may elicit a granulomatous and inflammatory response and has also been implicated in the development of osteolysis. Technical difficulty in retrieval and isolation of wear material from tissues has hindered the study of their physicochemical properties. The purpose of this study was to retrieve and analyze metallic wear debris from periprosthetic tissue obtained during revision arthroplasty.

The response of osteoblast-like cells to dexamethasone and cyclic loading.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether cyclic loading can alter the response of osteoblasts to dexamethasone. Proliferation of osteoblast-like cells (MG-63) was assessed by determining uptake of 3H-thymidine. Three doses of dexamethasone were tested: 0.

Macrophages and fibroblasts respond differently to PMMA particles and mechanical strain.

A primary factor limiting the long-term outcome of total joint arthroplasty is the aseptic loosening of prosthetic components. The bone-host interface of an unstable implant is associated with large quantities of wear debris as well as an altered mechanical environment. In vitro cellular studies on the effects of particulate biomaterials have been conducted under static conditions.

Immolina, a high-molecular-weight polysaccharide fraction of Spirulina, enhances chemokine expression in human monocytic THP-1 cells.

Introduction: Spirulina (Spirulina platensis) is a dietary supplement valued for its immune-enhancing properties. We previously reported that the immunostimulatory effect of spirulina can be traced to a high-molecular- weight polysaccharide fraction. This fraction, labeled Immolina, activates nuclear factor kappa-B in human monocytic THP-1 cells and increases expression of proinflammatory cytokines.

Nickel and vanadium metal ions induce apoptosis of T-lymphocyte Jurkat cells.

Metal alloys are used as prosthetic components in the orthopaedic and dental field. However, there is growing concern over the reported leaching of metal ions from implants. Ions released from metals have been thought to be associated with local immune dysfunction, inflammation, and tissue cell death.

Microcarriers in the engineering of cartilage and bone.

A major problem in tissue engineering is the availability of a sufficient number of cells with the appropriate phenotype for delivery to damaged or diseased cartilage and bone; the challenge is to amplify cell numbers and maintain the appropriate phenotype for tissue repair and restoration of function. The microcarrier bioreactor culture system offers an attractive method for cell amplification and enhancement of phenotype expression. Besides serving as substrates for the propagation of anchorage-dependent cells, microcarriers can also be used to deliver the expanded undifferentiated or differentiated cells to the site of the defect.

Ginger--an herbal medicinal product with broad anti-inflammatory actions.

The anti-inflammatory properties of ginger have been known and valued for centuries. During the past 25 years, many laboratories have provided scientific support for the long-held belief that ginger contains constituents with antiinflammatory properties. The original discovery of ginger's inhibitory effects on prostaglandin biosynthesis in the early 1970s has been repeatedly confirmed.

Ginger extract components suppress induction of chemokine expression in human synoviocytes.

Introduction: Ginger has a long history of medicinal use, particularly as an anti-inflammatory agent for a wide variety of diseases such as arthritis. Suppression of inflammation in arthritis is attributed to suppression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines produced by synoviocytes, chondrocytes, and leukocytes.

Objective: This study aimed to elucidate the effect of a combination ginger extract and its individual components on chemokine expression in human synoviocytes.

Ginger extract inhibits beta-amyloid peptide-induced cytokine and chemokine expression in cultured THP-1 monocytes.

Introduction: Neuritic plaques, a neuropathologic hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, are extracellular deposits of beta-amyloid peptides (Abeta). In the central nervous system neuritic plaques are surrounded by activated microglial cells expressing proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and neurotoxic mediators. Long-term activation of microglial cells is suspected to contribute to the neuron loss in Alzheimer's disease.

Cartilage debris increases the expression of chondrodestructive tumor necrosis factor-alpha by articular chondrocytes.

Purpose: To determine if cartilage particles increased the expression of TNF-alpha by articular chondrocytes.

Type Of Study: In vitro experiment.

Methods: Articular chondrocytes were obtained from patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis (n = 3) and from patients undergoing below-knee amputation for peripheral vascular disease (n = 3).