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Use of synovial fluid markers of cartilage synthesis and turnover to study effects of repeated intra‐articular administration of methylprednisolone acetate on articular cartilage in vivo
Author(s) -
Robion F. C.,
Doizé B.,
Bouré L.,
Marcoux M.,
Ionescu M.,
Reiner A.,
Poole A. R.,
Laverty Sheila
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of orthopaedic research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.041
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1554-527X
pISSN - 0736-0266
DOI - 10.1016/s0736-0266(00)90008-1
Subject(s) - aggrecan , methylprednisolone acetate , synovial fluid , cartilage , keratan sulfate , procollagen peptidase , osteoarthritis , in vivo , chemistry , medicine , andrology , endocrinology , pathology , methylprednisolone , proteoglycan , anatomy , articular cartilage , biology , alternative medicine , microbiology and biotechnology
In vivo the effects of intra‐articular (IA) corticosteroids on articular cartilage remain controversial. This study was designed to examine this issue using synovial fluid (SF) markers of cartilage metabolism. Paired radiocarpal joints, without clinical or radiographic signs of joint disease, were studied in 10 adult horses. Aseptic arthrocentesis was performed weekly for 13 weeks. IA injections of methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) into the treatment joint and the vehicle into the control joint were performed at weeks 3, 5 and 7. We used radioimmunoassays on SF samples which measure a keratan sulfate epitope (KS) and the 846 epitope on cartilage aggrecan (PG) and the C‐propeptide (CPII) of cartilage type II procollagen which is released following synthesis of this molecule. Gel chromatography was performed on selected SF samples to evaluate the sizes of SF PG molecules. The total joint KS and the 846 epitopes were both present on a heterogeneous population of mainly molecules which, from chromotographic analysis, appeared to be mainly fragments of the articular cartilage aggrecan. They were significantly elevated in MPA joints whereas CPII was significantly reduced compared to the control during the treatment period. These results indicate that the repeated use of IA MPA leads to a potentially harmful inhibition of procollagen II synthesis and an increased release of degradation products of the PG aggrecan from articular cartilage. © 2001 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.