A novel mice model of acute flares in osteoarthritis elicited by intra-articular injection of cultured mast cells.

PURPOSE: Mast cells are multifunctional in osteoarthritis (OA), and infiltration of activated mast cells likely contributes to disease severity and progression. However, the detailed mechanisms of action are unclear. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the role of mast cell infiltration in OA at histological level using a new mice model and to investigate pharmacological inhibitory effects of existing mast cell stabilizers in this model. METHODS: Mice were injected intra-articularly with monosodium iodoacetate (MIA 0.5 mg) or PBS on day 0, and PBS, with or without mast cells (MC: 1 × 106 cells) on day 14. They were divided into four groups: OA flare (MIA + MC), OA (MIA + PBS), MC non-OA (PBS + MC), and PBS non-OA (PBS + PBS). In OA flare, the MC stabilizer drug (tranilast: 400 mg/kg/day) or PBS was administered intraperitoneally from days 15 to 21. RESULTS: Histologically, modified Mankin score of the OA flare was significantly higher than that of OA (7.0 [1.8] vs. 3.3 [1.3], P < 0.05), and a larger number of mast cells was observed in OA flare than in OA (34.5 [6.3]/mm2 vs. 27.2 [2.3]/mm2, P < 0.05) on day 22. OA flare also showed acute exacerbation of pain and increased gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and aggrecanase compared with OA. Administration of tranilast to OA flare-up provoked significant improvements in term of histological changes, pain, and gene expression at day 22. CONCLUSION: Our novel model possibly mimics OA flare conditions, which may open a new strategy of disease-modifying treatment for OA, focused on controlling the multiple functions of mast cells.

An enzymatic method for the rapid measurement of the hemoglobin A1c by a flow-injection system comprised of an electrochemical detector with a specific enzyme-reactor and a spectrophotometer.

A flow-injection analytical (FIA) system, comprised of an electrochemical detector with a fructosyl-peptide oxidase (FPOX-CET) reactor and a flow-type spectrophotometer, was proposed for the simultaneous measurement of glycohemoglobin and total hemoglobin in blood cell. The blood cell samples were hemolyzed with a surfactant and then treated with protease. In the first stage of operation, total hemoglobin in digested sample was determined spectrophotometrically. In the second stage, fructosyl valyl histidine (FVH) released from glycohemoglobin by the selective proteolysis was determined specifically using the electrochemical detector with the FPOX-CET reactor. The FIA system could be automatically processed at an analytical speed of 40 samples per hour. The proposed assay method could determine selectively only the glycated N-terminal residue of beta-chain in glycohemoglobin and total hemoglobin in blood cell. The enzymatic hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) value calculated by the concentration ratio of the FVH to total hemoglobin, was closely correlated with the HbA1c values certified by the Japan Diabetic Society (JDS) and the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC).

Optically specific detection of D- and L-lactic acids by a flow-injection dual biosensor system with on-line microdialysis sampling.

A flow-injection dual biosensor system with microdialysis sampling is proposed for the simultaneous determination of D-lactic and L-lactic acids. The dialysate from the microdialysis tube is delivered to a sample loop of the six-way autoinjector and then automatically injected into the flow-injection line with a dual enzyme electrode arranged in perpendicular to the flow direction. The dual enzyme electrode is constructed by hybridizing a poly(1,2-diaminobenzene) film into two sensing parts which respond selectively to D-lactic and L-lactic acids, respectively, without any cross-reactivity. The proposed flow-injection analysis method can be successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of D,L-lactic acids in alcoholic beverages.

Determination of fructosyl amino acids and fructosyl peptides in protease-digested blood sample by a flow-injection system with an enzyme reactor.

A flow-injection system with an enzyme reactor was proposed for the measurement of fructosyl amino acids and fructosyl peptides in protease-digested blood samples. A fructosyl-amino acid oxidase (FAOX-TE) and two fructosyl-peptide oxidases (FPOX-CE and FPOX-CET) were covalently immobilized onto an inert support. They were used as the enzyme reactor in a FIA system with a hydrogen peroxide electrode. In particular, the FPOX-CET reactor possessed high selectivity for the detection of fructosyl valine (FV) and fructosyl valyl histidine (FVH) and an excellent operational stability. The proposed FIA system with the FPOX-CET reactor responded linearly to the concentration of FV over the dynamic range of 7.8 x 10(-6) to 5.8 x 10(-4) M. The present method could be successfully applied to the assay of FV and FVH in the protease-digested blood samples.