Hashimoto S, Ochs R L, Komiya S, Lotz M
The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
Arthritis Rheum. 1998 Sep;41(9):1632-8. doi: 10.1002/1529-0131(199809)41:9<1632::AID-ART14>3.0.CO;2-A.
To examine the occurrence of apoptosis in human osteoarthritis (OA) cartilage, and to determine its relationship to cartilage degradation.
Knee cartilage was obtained from subjects at autopsy, from a tissue bank, and from OA patients undergoing total joint replacement surgery. Chondrocytes were isolated and the number of apoptotic cells was analyzed by flow cytometry. Apoptotic cells in cartilage sections were identified by the detection of DNA strand breaks. Electron microscopy was applied to demonstrate morphologic changes, and Safranin O staining was performed to analyze the relationship between apoptosis and proteoglycan depletion.
Flow cytometry on cell suspensions prepared from collagenase digests of cartilage showed that approximately 22.3% of OA chondrocytes and 4.8% of normal chondrocytes were undergoing apoptosis. Staining of cartilage sections demonstrated the presence of apoptotic cells in the superficial and middle zones. Cartilage areas that contained apoptotic cells showed proteoglycan depletion, and the number of apoptotic cells was significantly correlated with the OA grade.
These observations demonstrate increased chondrocyte apoptosis in OA cartilage. Chondrocyte apoptosis and proteoglycan depletion are anatomically linked and may be mechanistically related.
研究人骨关节炎（OA）软骨中细胞凋亡的发生情况，并确定其与软骨降解的关系。
从尸检对象、组织库以及接受全关节置换手术的OA患者处获取膝关节软骨。分离软骨细胞，通过流式细胞术分析凋亡细胞数量。通过检测DNA链断裂来鉴定软骨切片中的凋亡细胞。应用电子显微镜观察形态学变化，并用番红O染色分析细胞凋亡与蛋白聚糖消耗之间的关系。
对软骨胶原酶消化制备的细胞悬液进行流式细胞术分析显示，约22.3%的OA软骨细胞和4.8%的正常软骨细胞正在发生凋亡。软骨切片染色显示表层和中层存在凋亡细胞。含有凋亡细胞的软骨区域显示蛋白聚糖消耗，且凋亡细胞数量与OA分级显著相关。
这些观察结果表明OA软骨中软骨细胞凋亡增加。软骨细胞凋亡与蛋白聚糖消耗在解剖学上相关联，且可能在机制上也有关联。
