Tenascin-C levels in synovial fluid are elevated after injury to the human and canine joint and correlate with markers of inflammation and matrix degradation.

Objective: We have previously shown the capacity of tenascin-C (TN-C) to induce inflammatory mediators and matrix degradation in vitro in human articular cartilage. The objective of the present study was to follow TN-C release into knee synovial fluid after acute joint injury or in joint disease, and to correlate TN-C levels with markers of cartilage matrix degradation and inflammation.

Method: Human knee synovial fluid samples (n = 164) were from a cross-sectional convenience cohort.

Tenascin-C induces inflammatory mediators and matrix degradation in osteoarthritic cartilage.

Background: Tenascin-C (TN-C) is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein that is involved in tissue injury and repair processes. We analyzed TN-C expression in normal and osteoarthritic (OA) human cartilage, and evaluated its capacity to induce inflammatory and catabolic mediators in chondrocytes in vitro. The effect of TN-C on proteoglycan loss from articular cartilage in culture was also assessed.

Elevated aggrecanase activity in a rat model of joint injury is attenuated by an aggrecanase specific inhibitor.

Objective: To evaluate aggrecanase activity after traumatic knee injury in a rat model by measuring the level of aggrecanase-generated Ala-Arg-Gly-aggrecan (ARG-aggrecan) fragments in synovial fluid, and compare with ARG-aggrecan release into joint fluid following human knee injury. To evaluate the effect of small molecule inhibitors on induced aggrecanase activity in the rat model.

Method: An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to measure ARG-aggrecan levels in animal and human joint fluids.

The OARSI histopathology initiative - recommendations for histological assessments of osteoarthritis in the rat.

Objective: During the development of disease-modifying osteoarthritis (OA) drugs, rat models of OA are frequently used for a first assessment of in vivo efficacy. The most efficacious compound in the rat model may then be tested in a larger animal model before entering human trials. The aim of this study was to describe a histologic scoring system for use in different models of OA in rats that allows standardization and comparison of results obtained by different investigators.

Histopathology atlas of animal model systems - overview of guiding principles.

Animal model systems represent an important adjunct and surrogate for studies of osteoarthritis (OA) in humans. They provide a means to study OA pathophysiology as well as aid in the development of therapeutic agents and biological markers for diagnosing and prognosing the disease. Thus, it is of great importance for the OA scientific community, both in academic as well as industrial research, to standardize scoring systems for evaluating the OA disease process and to make results between different studies comparable.

The OARSI histopathology initiative - recommendations for histological assessments of osteoarthritis in the mouse.

Aim: To describe a histologic scoring system for murine osteoarthritis (OA) that can be applied universally to instability, enzymatic, transgenic and spontaneous OA models.

Methods: Scientists with expertise in assessing murine OA histopathology reviewed the merits and drawbacks of methods described in the literature. A semi-quantitative scoring system that could reasonably be employed in any basic cartilage histology laboratory was proposed.

Inhibition of osteoclasts prevents cartilage loss and pain in a rat model of degenerative joint disease.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between efficacy of a bisphosphonate, pain and extent of joint damage in the monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) model of painful degenerative joint disease.

Methods: Zoledronate treatment was initiated prior to and at various times following model induction, including late time points representing advanced disease. Radiographic and histological structural parameters were correlated with pain as measured by weight bearing.

LXR modulation blocks prostaglandin E2 production and matrix degradation in cartilage and alleviates pain in a rat osteoarthritis model.

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common arthritic condition in humans, is characterized by the progressive degeneration of articular cartilage accompanied by chronic joint pain. Inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) that are elevated in OA joints, play important roles in the progression of cartilage degradation and pain-associated nociceptor sensitivity. We have found that the nuclear receptor family transcription factors Liver X Receptors (LXRalpha and -beta) are expressed in cartilage, with LXRbeta being the predominant isoform.

Prevention of cartilage degeneration in a rat model of osteoarthritis by intraarticular treatment with recombinant lubricin.

Objective: Lubricin, also referred to as superficial zone protein and PRG4, is a synovial glycoprotein that supplies a friction-resistant, antiadhesive coating to the surfaces of articular cartilage, thereby protecting against arthritis-associated tissue wear and degradation. This study was undertaken to generate and characterize a novel recombinant lubricin protein construct, LUB:1, and to evaluate its therapeutic efficacy following intraarticular delivery in a rat model of osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: Binding and localization of LUB:1 to cartilage surfaces was assessed by immunohistochemistry.

ADAMTS5-/- mice have less subchondral bone changes after induction of osteoarthritis through surgical instability: implications for a link between cartilage and subchondral bone changes.

Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by damaged articular cartilage and changes in subchondral bone. Previous work demonstrated aggrecanase-2 deficient (ADAMTS5-/-) mice to be protected from cartilage damage induced by joint instability. This study analyzed whether this protective effect on cartilage is also reflected in the subchondral bone structure.

The influence of enrichment devices on development of osteoarthritis in a surgically induced murine model.

This study measured the influence of three different environmental enrichment devices (EEDs) on the severity of osteoarthritis (OA) in a surgically induced murine model. The development of OA requires joint movement after surgical instability induced by destabilization of the medial meniscus at 10 weeks of age. We evaluated the hypothesis that animals behavioral activity levels may influence the severity of the disease by investigating the effect of different EEDs on mouse activity and correlating this to OA severity.

In vitro-in vivo correlation on delivery of drug candidates to articular cartilage.

Purpose: In the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA), some of the therapeutic approaches require delivery of drug(s) to the diseased cartilage. Presence of adequate drug levels in the cartilage is one of the important criteria in selection and ranking of lead compounds. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation in cartilage compound levels between in vitro experiments and in vivo animal studies.

Double-knockout of ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 in mice results in physiologically normal animals and prevents the progression of osteoarthritis.

Objective: To phenotypically characterize ADAMTS-4- and ADAMTS-5-double-knockout mice, and to determine the effect of deletion of ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 on the progression of osteoarthritis (OA) in mice.

Methods: Mice lacking the catalytic domain of ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 were crossed to generate ADAMTS-4/5-double-knockout animals. Twelve-week-old and 1-year-old male and female ADAMTS-4/5-double-knockout mice were compared with age- and sex-matched wild-type (WT) mice by evaluating terminal body weights, organ weights, clinical pathology parameters, PIXImus mouse densitometry findings, and macroscopic and microscopic observations.

Immortalized mouse articular cartilage cell lines retain chondrocyte phenotype and respond to both anabolic factor BMP-2 and pro-inflammatory factor IL-1.

Articular cartilage chondrocytes help in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and function of the articular joint. Study of primary chondrocytes in culture provides information closely related to in vivo functions of these cells. Limitations in the primary culture of chondrocytes have lead to the development of cells lines that serve as good surrogate models for the study of chondrocyte biology.

Increased expression of the collagen receptor discoidin domain receptor 2 in articular cartilage as a key event in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis.

Objective: To investigate the role of the collagen receptor discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR-2) in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: Histologic and immunohistochemical analyses were performed to characterize femoral head cartilage from 7 patients with OA and 4 patients with fracture, as well as articular cartilage from the knee joints of mice with surgically induced OA. Gene constructs encoding human Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP), DDR-2 lacking the discoidin (DS) domain (DeltaDS-DDR-2) or the protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) core (DeltaPTK-DDR-2), DDR-2 containing a substitution of tyrosine for alanine at position 740 (Y740A), and luciferase driven by the matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP-13) promoter were transfected into human chondrocyte cell lines.

The surgical destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) model of osteoarthritis in the 129/SvEv mouse.

Objective: To evaluate anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) and destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) surgical instability models of osteoarthritis (OA) in the 129/SvEv mouse knee joint.

Design: Micro-surgical techniques were used to perform ACLT or DMM under direct visualization. Histological scoring was performed on multiple sections to assess cartilage damage across the entire joint.

In vivo osteoarthritis target validation utilizing genetically-modified mice.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive disease of cartilage degradation that significantly impacts quality of life. There are currently no effective treatments and, while a large number of potential therapeutic targets exist, most have not been validated in vivo. The range of OA models in the mouse has dramatically expanded in the last decade, beyond spontaneous models, to include genetically modified transgenic, knockout (KO) and knock-in (KI) mice that can develop premature cartilage degeneration reminiscent of OA.

Osteoarthritis severity is sex dependent in a surgical mouse model.

Objective: To investigate the role of sex hormones in cartilage degradation and progression of osteoarthritis (OA) in a murine model induced by destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM).

Design: Accelerated OA development in mice was induced by transection of the menisco-tibial ligament, which anchors the medial meniscus to the tibial plateau. Intact male and female, and orchiectomized (ORX) male and ovariectomized (OVX) female mouse knee histology were compared for signs of OA following DMM.

Immortalized cell lines from mouse xiphisternum preserve chondrocyte phenotype.

Chondrocytes are unique to cartilage and the study of these cells in vitro is important for advancing our understanding of the role of these cells in normal homeostasis and disease including osteoarthritis (OA). As there are limitations to the culture of primary chondrocytes, cell lines have been developed to overcome some of these obstacles. In this study, we developed a procedure to immortalize and characterize chondrocyte cell lines from mouse xiphisternum.

Deletion of active ADAMTS5 prevents cartilage degradation in a murine model of osteoarthritis.

Human osteoarthritis is a progressive disease of the joints characterized by degradation of articular cartilage. Although disease initiation may be multifactorial, the cartilage destruction appears to be a result of uncontrolled proteolytic extracellular matrix destruction. A major component of the cartilage extracellular matrix is aggrecan, a proteoglycan that imparts compressive resistance to the tissue.

Chondral defect repair after the microfracture procedure: a nonhuman primate model.

Background: The extent and time course of chondral defect healing after microfracture in humans are not well described. Although most physicians recommend a period of activity and weightbearing restriction to protect the healing cartilage, there are limited data on which to base decisions regarding the duration of such restrictions.

Hypothesis: Evaluation of the status of chondral defect repair at different time points after microfracture in a primate model may provide a rationale for postoperative activity recommendations.

Characterization of and osteoarthritis susceptibility in ADAMTS-4-knockout mice.

Objective: To determine the importance of the enzymatic activity of ADAMTS-4 in normal growth and development and to evaluate the role of ADAMTS-4 in the progression of osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: We generated catalytic domain-deleted ADAMTS-4-transgenic mice and performed extensive gross and histologic analyses of various organs. The mice were challenged by surgical induction of joint instability leading to OA, to determine the importance of the enzymatic activity of ADAMTS-4 in the progression of the disease.

Repair of articular cartilage defects one year after treatment with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2).

Background: Damaged articular cartilage has a limited ability to repair. Operative removal of damaged cartilage and penetration into the subchondral bone to allow population of the defect with progenitor cells can result in filling of the defect with repair tissue. However, this repair tissue often degenerates over time because of its inability to withstand the mechanical forces to which it is subjected.

Spontaneous osteoarthritis in Dunkin Hartley guinea pigs: histologic, radiologic, and biochemical changes.

Dunkin Hartley guinea pigs develop spontaneous, age-related osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee and other joints. Histologic changes are observed beginning at 3 months of age. Disease severity increases with age, and at 18 months moderate to severe OA is observed.