SAN DIEGO, Dec. 5 U.S. scientists say sliding forces applied to cartilage surfaces prompt cells in the tissue to produce molecules that lubricate and protect joints.
The bioengineering study by researchers at the University of California-San Diego is part of efforts by a team led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor Robert Sah to grow cartilage in the laboratory that can be used to replace patients' injured or diseased joint surfaces.
We have shown that shear forces on cartilage prompt chondrocyte cells in it to produce proteoglycan 4, said Sah. This is an important step toward our goal of eventually growing joint tissue for transplantation.Proteoglycan, a name that reflects its protein and polysaccharide components, is a basic building block of connective tissue throughout the body. The chondrocyte cells of cartilage make several forms of proteoglycans, including several that build up in cartilage and contribute to its stiffness. Proteoglycan-4 is primarily secreted into the joint fluid where it coats and lubricates cartilage surfaces.
The research appears in the current issue of the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage.
Copyright 2006 by UPI
