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Background  Cartilage degradation is a typical characteristic of arthritis. This study examined whether there was a subset of phagocytic chondrocytes that expressed the specific macrophage marker, CD163, and investigated their role in cartilage degradation.    Methods  Cartilage from the knee and temporomandibular joints of Sprague-Dawley rats was harvested. Cartilage degradation was experimentally-induced in rat temporomandibular joints, using published biomechanical dental methods. The expression levels of CD163 and inflammatory factors within cartilage, and the ability of CD163 +  chondrocytes to conduct phagocytosis were investigated. Cartilage from the knees of patients with osteoarthritis and normal cartilage from knee amputations was also investigated.    Results  In the experimentally-induced degrading cartilage from temporomandibular joints, phagocytes were capable of engulfing neighboring apoptotic and necrotic cells, and the levels of CD163, TNF-α and MMPs were all increased ( P <0.05). However, the levels of ACP-1, NO and ROS, which relate to cellular digestion capability were unchanged ( P >0.05). CD163 +  chondrocytes were found in the cartilage mid-zone of temporomandibular joints and knee from healthy, three-week old rats. Furthermore, an increased number of CD163 +  chondrocytes with enhanced phagocytic activity were present in Col-II +  chondrocytes isolated from the degraded cartilage of temporomandibular joints in the eight-week experimental group compared with their age-matched controls. Increased number with enhanced phagocytic activity of CD163 +  chondrocytes were also found in isolated Col-II +  chondrocytes stimulated with TNF-α ( P <0.05). Mid-zone distribution of CD163 +  cells accompanied with increased expression of CD163 and TNF-α were further confirmed in the isolated Col-II +  chondrocytes from the knee cartilage of human patients with osteoarthritis, in contrast to the controls (both  P <0.05).    Conclusions  An increased number of CD163 +  chondrocytes with enhanced phagocytic activity were discovered within degraded joint cartilage, indicating a role in eliminating degraded tissues. Targeting these cells provides a new strategy for the treatment of arthritis.

The Identification of CD163 Expressing Phagocytic Chondrocytes in Joint Cartilage and Its Novel Scavenger Role in Cartilage Degradation