Anti-inflammatory effects of hyaluronan in arthritis therapy: Not just for viscosity

Hyaluronic acid (HA) has been widely used for viscosupplementation of diseased or aged articular joints. However, recent investigations have revealed the active anti-inflammatory or chondroprotective effect of HA, suggesting its potential role in attenuation of joint damage. In particular, interactions between HA and other inflammatory mediators are attracting interest. This review summarizes several aspects of recent investigations of the anti-inflammatory effects of HA in arthritis

Concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor in the tumour tissue as a prognostic factor of soft tissue sarcomas

Previous studies have shown that the prognosis of patients who have tumours with high microvessel density (MVD) is worse than that of patients who have a lower density in a variety of cancers. In this study, we investigated the clinical relevance of neovascularity assessed by MVD and the concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the tumour tissue of patients with soft tissue sarcoma in comparison with major clinicohistologic parameters by univariate and multivariate analysis. In 115 patients with soft tissue sarcoma, MVD was measured by counting vessels stained with factor VIII antibody. The concentration of VEGF in the tumour tissue was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These parameters were then compared with disease outcome. The concentration of VEGF in the tumour tissue, but not MVD, was found to be correlated with disease outcome in patients with soft tissue, sarcoma. VEGF concentration in the tumour tissue showed a relationship with the clinical stage and histologic grade of the tumour. There was no significant difference in the levels of tissue VEGF concentration and MVD among soft tissue sarcomas classified according to histologic type. The level of tissue VEGF concentration in patients who had subsequent local recurrence and metastasis were significantly higher than the respective values in patients who did not have such disease outcome. No significant correlation existed between MVD and the concentration of VEGF in the tumour tissue. Univariate analysis showed that a high tissue VEGF concentration was associated with poor overall survival of the patient and a greater probability that local recurrence and metastasis had occurred. Multivariate analysis revealed that the tissue concentration of VEGF is an independent prognostic factor for the disease outcome of patients with soft tissue sarcoma. VEGF concentration in the tumour tissue, but not MVD, is an additional prognostic parameter for disease outcome in patients with soft tissue sarcoma, regardless of histologic type. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co

Catabolic stress induces expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α in articular chondrocytes: involvement of HIF-1α in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis

Transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 protein accumulates and activates the transcription of genes that are of fundamental importance for oxygen homeostasis – including genes involved in energy metabolism, angiogenesis, vasomotor control, apoptosis, proliferation, and matrix production – under hypoxic conditions. We speculated that HIF-1α may have an important role in chondrocyte viability as a cell survival factor during the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). The expression of HIF-1α mRNA in human OA cartilage samples was analyzed by real-time PCR. We analyzed whether or not the catabolic factors IL-1β and H(2)O(2 )induce the expression of HIF-1α in OA chondrocytes under normoxic and hypoxic conditions (O(2 )<6%). We investigated the levels of energy generation, cartilage matrix production, and apoptosis induction in HIF-1α-deficient chondrocytes under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. In articular cartilages from human OA patients, the expression of HIF-1α mRNA was higher in the degenerated regions than in the intact regions. Both IL-1β and H(2)O(2 )accelerated mRNA and protein levels of HIF-1α in cultured chondrocytes. Inhibitors for phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and p38 kinase caused a significant decrease in catabolic-factor-induced HIF-1α expression. HIF-1α-deficient chondrocytes did not maintain energy generation and cartilage matrix production under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Also, HIF-1α-deficient chondrocytes showed an acceleration of catabolic stress-induced apoptosis in vitro. Our findings in human OA cartilage show that HIF-1α expression in OA cartilage is associated with the progression of articular cartilage degeneration. Catabolic-stresses, IL-1β, and oxidative stress induce the expression of HIF-1α in chondrocytes. Our results suggest an important role of stress-induced HIF-1α in the maintenance of chondrocyte viability in OA articular cartilage

Potential involvement of oxidative stress in cartilage senescence and development of osteoarthritis: oxidative stress induces chondrocyte telomere instability and downregulation of chondrocyte function

Oxidative stress leads to increased risk for osteoarthritis (OA) but the precise mechanism remains unclear. We undertook this study to clarify the impact of oxidative stress on the progression of OA from the viewpoint of oxygen free radical induced genomic instability, including telomere instability and resulting replicative senescence and dysfunction in human chondrocytes. Human chondrocytes and articular cartilage explants were isolated from knee joints of patients undergoing arthroplastic knee surgery for OA. Oxidative damage and antioxidative capacity in OA cartilage were investigated in donor-matched pairs of intact and degenerated regions of tissue isolated from the same cartilage explants. The results were histologically confirmed by immunohistochemistry for nitrotyrosine, which is considered to be a maker of oxidative damage. Under treatment with reactive oxygen species (ROS; 0.1 μmol/l H(2)O(2)) or an antioxidative agent (ascorbic acid: 100.0 μmol/l), cellular replicative potential, telomere instability and production of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) were assessed in cultured chondrocytes. In tissue cultures of articular cartilage explants, the presence of oxidative damage, chondrocyte telomere length and loss of GAG to the medium were analyzed in the presence or absence of ROS or ascorbic acid. Lower antioxidative capacity and stronger staining of nitrotyrosine were observed in the degenerating regions of OA cartilages as compared with the intact regions from same explants. Immunostaining for nitrotyrosine correlated with the severity of histological changes to OA cartilage, suggesting a correlation between oxidative damage and articular cartilage degeneration. During continuous culture of chondrocytes, telomere length, replicative capacity and GAG production were decreased by treatment with ROS. In contrast, treatment with an antioxidative agent resulted in a tendency to elongate telomere length and replicative lifespan in cultured chondrocytes. In tissue cultures of cartilage explants, nitrotyrosine staining, chondrocyte telomere length and GAG remaining in the cartilage tissue were lower in ROS-treated cartilages than in control groups, whereas the antioxidative agent treated group exhibited a tendency to maintain the chondrocyte telomere length and proteoglycan remaining in the cartilage explants, suggesting that oxidative stress induces chondrocyte telomere instability and catabolic changes in cartilage matrix structure and composition. Our findings clearly show that the presence of oxidative stress induces telomere genomic instability, replicative senescence and dysfunction of chondrocytes in OA cartilage, suggesting that oxidative stress, leading to chondrocyte senescence and cartilage ageing, might be responsible for the development of OA. New efforts to prevent the development and progression of OA may include strategies and interventions aimed at reducing oxidative damage in articular cartilage