New developments in osteoarthritis. Posttraumatic osteoarthritis: pathogenesis and pharmacological treatment options

Joint trauma can lead to a spectrum of acute lesions, including osteochondral fractures, ligament or meniscus tears and damage to the articular cartilage. This is often associated with intraarticular bleeding and causes posttraumatic joint inflammation. Although the acute symptoms resolve and some of the lesions can be surgically repaired, joint injury triggers a chronic remodeling process in cartilage and other joint tissues that ultimately manifests as osteoarthritis in a majority of cases. The objective of the present review is to summarize information on pathogenetic mechanisms involved in the acute and chronic consequences of joint trauma and discuss potential pharmacological interventions. The focus of the review is on the early events that follow joint trauma since therapies for posttraumatic joint inflammation are not available and this represents a unique window of opportunity to limit chronic consequences

Effect of a glutathione S-transferase inhibitor on oxidative stress and ischemia-reperfusion-induced apoptotic signalling of cultured cardiomyocytes

Apoptosis is a process present in a variety of cardiovascular diseases, and oxidative stress is a major apoptotic stimulus in these diseases. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) plays a crucial role against oxidative injury; it also regulates glutathione homeostasis. Recently, new roles for GST have been discussed such as in gene expression, protein glutathionylation and nitric oxide metabolism. However, its role with regard to cardiomyocyte apoptosis and alteration of signalling cascades of cardiomyocytes has not been determined. This article evaluates the effect of GST inhibition on cardiomyocyte apoptosis and on the alteration of proteins and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways in rat models