Anaerobic and aerobic metabolism in articular cartilage.

Articular cartilage explants were incubated at various oxygen tensions and the results of 35SO4 and 3H-thymidine incorporation indicate that proteoglycan and DNA synthesis is depressed at low oxygen tensions. The studies of oxygen consumption and glucose/lactate metabolism in the cartilage suggest a shift in energy pathways as the oxygen environment is altered. In low O2 tensions chondrocytes follow anaerobic glycolysis while at physiologic oxygen tensions chondrocytes follow a combination of both aerobic and glycolytic metabolism. The data suggest that hypoxia, frequently found in inflammatory arthritides, would have deleterious effects on chondrocyte metabolism and would significantly impair any reparative potential of the injured chondrocytes.