Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative disease. PA28γ is a member of the 11S proteasome activator and is involved in the regulation of several important cellular processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammation. This study aimed to explore the role of PA28γ in the occurrence and development of OA and its potential mechanism. A total of 120 newborn male mice were employed for the isolation and culture of primary chondrocytes. OA-related indicators such as anabolism, catabolism, inflammation, and apoptosis were detected. Effects and related mechanisms of PA28γ in chondrocyte endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress were studied using western blotting, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and immunofluorescence. The OA mouse model was established by destabilized medial meniscus (DMM) surgery, and adenovirus was injected into the knee cavity of 15 12-week-old male mice to reduce the expression of PA28γ. The degree of cartilage destruction was evaluated by haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, safranin O/fast green staining, toluidine blue staining, and immunohistochemistry.Aims
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Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common chronic pathema of human joints. The pathogenesis is complex, involving physiological and mechanical factors. In previous studies, we found that ferroptosis is intimately related to OA, while the role of Sat1 in chondrocyte ferroptosis and OA, as well as the underlying mechanism, remains unclear. In this study, interleukin-1β (IL-1β) was used to simulate inflammation and Erastin was used to simulate ferroptosis in vitro. We used small interfering RNA (siRNA) to knock down the spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase 1 (Sat1) and arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase (Alox15), and examined damage-associated events including inflammation, ferroptosis, and oxidative stress of chondrocytes. In addition, a destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) mouse model of OA induced by surgery was established to investigate the role of Sat1 inhibition in OA progression.Aims
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cAMP response element binding protein (CREB1) is involved in the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). However, available findings about the role of CREB1 in OA are inconsistent. 666-15 is a potent and selective CREB1 inhibitor, but its role in OA is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the precise role of CREB1 in OA, and whether 666-15 exerts an anti-OA effect. CREB1 activity and expression of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 4 (ADAMTS4) in cells and tissues were measured by immunoblotting and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. The effect of 666-15 on chondrocyte viability and apoptosis was examined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, JC-10, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labelling (TUNEL) staining. The effect of 666-15 on the microstructure of subchondral bone, and the synthesis and catabolism of cartilage, in anterior cruciate ligament transection mice were detected by micro-CT, safranin O and fast green (S/F), immunohistochemical staining, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Aims
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This study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of meniscal cell lysate (MCL) in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) and osteoarthritis (OA). Meniscus and synovial tissue were collected from 14 patients with and without OA. MCL and FLS proteins were extracted and analyzed by liquid chromatography‒mass spectrometry (LC‒MS). The roles of MCL and adenine nucleotide translocase 3 (ANT3) in FLSs were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and transmission electron microscopy. Histological analysis was performed to determine ANT3 expression levels in a male mouse model.Aims
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Insufficient treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients requires novel treatment strategies to halt disease progression. The potential benefit of combination of cytokine-inhibitors in RA is still unclear and needs further investigation. To explore the impact of combined deficiency of two major cytokines, namely interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-6, in this study double deficient mice for IL-1αβ and IL-6 were investigated in different tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-driven inflammatory bone disorders, namely peripheral arthritis and sacroiliitis, as well as systemic bone loss. Disease course, histopathological features of arthritis, and micro-CT (µCT) bone analysis of local and systemic bone loss were assessed in 15-week-old Aims
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Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is a subset of osteoarthritis (OA). The gut microbiome is shown to be involved in OA. However, the effect of exercise on gut microbiome in PTOA remains elusive. A total of 18 eight-week Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned into three groups: Sham/sedentary (Sham/Sed), PTOA/sedentary (PTOA/Sed), and PTOA/treadmill-walking (PTOA/TW). PTOA model was induced by transection of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACLT) and the destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM). Treadmill-walking (15 m/min, 30 min/d, five days/week for eight weeks) was employed in the PTOA/TW group. The response of cartilage, subchondral bone, serology, and gut microbiome and their correlations were assessed.Aims
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Minimally manipulated cells, such as autologous bone marrow concentrates (BMC), have been investigated in orthopaedics as both a primary therapeutic and augmentation to existing restoration procedures. However, the efficacy of BMC in combination with tissue engineering is still unclear. In this study, we aimed to determine whether the addition of BMC to an osteochondral scaffold is safe and can improve the repair of large osteochondral defects when compared to the scaffold alone. The ovine femoral condyle model was used. Bone marrow was aspirated, concentrated, and used intraoperatively with a collagen/hydroxyapatite scaffold to fill the osteochondral defects (n = 6). Tissue regeneration was then assessed versus the scaffold-only group (n = 6). Histological staining of cartilage with alcian blue and safranin-O, changes in chondrogenic gene expression, microCT, peripheral quantitative CT (pQCT), and force-plate gait analyses were performed. Lymph nodes and blood were analyzed for safety.Aims
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Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor has been reported to attenuate inflammatory response in rat models of inflammation. This study was designed to investigate the effect of PARP signalling in osteoarthritis (OA) cartilage inflammatory response in an OA rat model. The OA model was established by anterior cruciate ligament transection with medial meniscectomy in Wistar rats. The poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) shRNA (short hairpin (sh)-PARP-1) and negative control shRNA (sh-NC) were delivered using a lentiviral vector and were intra-articularly injected into rats after surgery. The weight-bearing distribution of the hind limbs and the knee joint width were measured every two weeks. The expression levels of PARP-1, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in cartilage were determined using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot. The serum concentrations of inflammatory cytokines were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Aims
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This study aimed to investigate whether human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) can prevent articular cartilage degradation and explore the underlying mechanisms in a rat osteoarthritis (OA) model induced by monosodium iodoacetate (MIA). Human UC-MSCs were characterized by their phenotype and multilineage differentiation potential. Two weeks after MIA induction in rats, human UC-MSCs were intra-articularly injected once a week for three weeks. The therapeutic effect of human UC-MSCs was evaluated by haematoxylin and eosin, toluidine blue, Safranin-O/Fast green staining, and Mankin scores. Markers of joint cartilage injury and pro- and anti-inflammatory markers were detected by immunohistochemistry.Aims
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To analyze the potential role of synovial fluid peptidase activity as a measure of disease burden and predictive biomarker of progression in knee osteoarthritis (KOA). A cross-sectional study of 39 patients (women 71.8%, men 28.2%; mean age of 72.03 years (SD 1.15) with advanced KOA (Ahlbäck grade ≥ 3 and clinical indications for arthrocentesis) recruited through the (Orthopaedic Department at the Complejo Asistencial Universitario de León, Spain (CAULE)), measuring synovial fluid levels of puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase (PSA), neutral aminopeptidase (NAP), aminopeptidase B (APB), prolyl endopeptidase (PEP), aspartate aminopeptidase (ASP), glutamyl aminopeptidase (GLU) and pyroglutamyl aminopeptidase (PGAP).Aims
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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disabling joint disorder and mechanical loading is an important pathogenesis. This study aims to investigate the benefits of less mechanical loading created by intermittent tail suspension for knee OA. A post-traumatic OA model was established in 20 rats (12 weeks old, male). Ten rats were treated with less mechanical loading through intermittent tail suspension, while another ten rats were treated with normal mechanical loading. Cartilage damage was determined by gross appearance, Safranin O/Fast Green staining, and immunohistochemistry examinations. Subchondral bone changes were analyzed by micro-CT and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, and serum inflammatory cytokines were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Aims
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Parathyroid hormone (PTH) (1-34) exhibits potential in preventing degeneration in both cartilage and subchondral bone in osteoarthritis (OA) development. We assessed the effects of PTH (1-34) at different concentrations on bone and cartilage metabolism in a collagenase-induced mouse model of OA and examined whether PTH (1-34) affects the JAK2/STAT3 signalling pathway in this process. Collagenase-induced OA was established in C57Bl/6 mice. Therapy with PTH (1-34) (10 μg/kg/day or 40 μg/kg/day) was initiated immediately after surgery and continued for six weeks. Cartilage pathology was evaluated by gross visual, histology, and immunohistochemical assessments. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by TUNEL staining. Microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) was used to evaluate the bone mass and the microarchitecture in subchondral bone.Aims
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To assess the effect of physical exercise (PE) on the histological and transcriptional characteristics of proteoglycan-induced arthritis (PGIA) in BALB/c mice. Following PGIA, mice were subjected to treadmill PE for ten weeks. The tarsal joints were used for histological and genetic analysis through microarray technology. The genes differentially expressed by PE in the arthritic mice were obtained from the microarray experiments. Bioinformatic analysis in the DAVID, STRING, and Cytoscape bioinformatic resources allowed the association of these genes in biological processes and signalling pathways.Aims
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Activation of the leptin pathway is closely correlated with human knee cartilage degeneration. However, the role of the long form of the leptin receptor (Ob-Rb) in cartilage degeneration needs further study. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of increasing the expression of Ob-Rb on chondrocytes using a lentiviral vector containing Ob-Rb. The medial and lateral cartilage samples of the tibial plateau from 12 osteoarthritis (OA) patients were collected. Ob-Rb messenger RNA (mRNA) was detected in these samples. The Ob-Rb-overexpressing chondrocytes and controls were treated with different doses of leptin for two days. The activation of the p53/p21 pathway and the number of senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal)-positive cells were evaluated. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling pathway and autophagy were detected after the chondrocytes were treated with a high dose of leptin.Objectives
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