Hyaluronic Acid Suppresses the Expression of Metalloproteinases in Osteoarthritic Cartilage Stimulated Simultaneously by Interleukin 1β and Mechanical Load

Publication

Hyaluronic Acid Suppresses the Expression of Metalloproteinases in Osteoarthritic Cartilage Stimulated Simultaneously by Interleukin 1β and Mechanical Load

Journal Paper/Review - Mar 2, 2016

Pohlig Florian, Burgkart Rainer, von Eisenhart-Rothe Rüdiger, Mayer-Kuckuk Philipp, Toepfer Andreas, Schauwecker Johannes, Mühlhofer Heinrich M L, Lenze Florian W, Lenze Ulrich, Guell Florian, Salzmann Gian M

Citation

Pohlig F, Burgkart R, von Eisenhart-Rothe R, Mayer-Kuckuk P, Toepfer A, Schauwecker J, Mühlhofer H, Lenze F, Lenze U, Guell F, Salzmann G. Hyaluronic Acid Suppresses the Expression of Metalloproteinases in Osteoarthritic Cartilage Stimulated Simultaneously by Interleukin 1β and Mechanical Load. PloS one 2016; 11:e0150020.

Type

Journal Paper/Review (English)

Journal

PloS one 2016; 11

Publication Date

Mar 2, 2016

Issn Electronic

1932-6203

Pages

e0150020

Brief description/objective

PURPOSE
In patients with osteoarthritis (OA), intraarticular injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) frequently results in reduced pain and improved function for prolonged periods of time, i.e. more than 6 months. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects are not fully understood. Our underlying hypothesis is that HA modifies the enzymatic breakdown of joint tissues.

METHODS
To test this hypothesis, we examined osteochondral cylinders from 12 OA patients. In a bioreactor, these samples were stimulated by interleukin 1β (Il1ß) (2 ng/ml) plus mechanical load (2.0 Mpa at 0.5 Hz horizontal and 0.1 Hz vertical rotation), thus the experimental setup recapitulated both catabolic and anabolic clues of the OA joint.

RESULTS
Upon addition of HA at either 1 or 3 mg/ml, we observed a significant suppression of expression of metalloproteinase (MMP)-13. A more detailed analysis based on the Kellgren and Lawrence (K&L) OA grade, showed a much greater degree of suppression of MMP-13 expression in grade IV as compared to grade II OA. In contrast to the observed MMP-13 suppression, treatment with HA resulted in a suppression of MMP-1 expression only at 1 mg/ml HA, while MMP-2 expression was not significantly affected by either HA concentration.

CONCLUSION
Together, these data suggest that under concurrent catabolic and anabolic stimulation, HA exhibits a pronounced suppressive effect on MMP-13. In the long-run these findings may benefit the development of treatment strategies aimed at blocking tissue degradation in OA patients.