Fibroblast-like synoviocyte-chondrocyte interaction in cartilage degradation

CER2991
2007 Vol.25, N°2
PI 0239, PF 0245
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PMID: 17543148 [PubMed]

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:
In vitro models for joint diseases often focus on a single cell type, such as chondrocytes in osteoarthritis (OA) or fibroblast-like synoviocytes (synoviocytes) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, these joint diseases affect the whole joint and interaction between chondrocytes and synoviocytes may play an important role in disease patho-logy. The current study was designed to study the use of the alginate recovered chondrocyte method as a model for cartilage degradation and to study interaction between chondrocytes and synoviocytes.
METHODS:
Bovine chondrocytes were cultured in alginate beads for 1 week, subsequently chondrons were retrieved and seeded into transwells. Every two days cartilage-slices were analysed for proteoglycan content (colorimetric, Blyscan GAG kit), collagen content (HPLC) and collagen HP and LP crosslinking (HPLC). For degradation experiments, monocultures of cartilage-slices labelled with ³⁵S and cocultures with synoviocytes were stimulated with IL-1Β or TNF-α. After 7 days, ³⁵S release was measured taken as a measure of cartilage degradation.
RESULTS:
After biochemical analysis, three week old cartilage-like slices were chosen to perform cartilage-degradation experiments. Synoviocytes were able to induce cartilage degradation only in the presence of living chondrocytes. In addition, the cytokines interleukin 1 (IL-1Β) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) were only able to induce cartilage degradation by chondrocytes, not by synoviocytes.
CONCLUSIONS:
These data indicate that the alginate recovered chondrocyte method provides a novel model for cartilage degradation in which the interaction between synoviocytes and chondrocytes can be studied.