FGF23 and SOX9 expression in haemophilic cartilage: In vitro studies of the effects of iron.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Clarifying the links between iron and FGF23, SOX9 expression in chondrocytes would be helpful for comprehending articular cartilage degradation pathogenesis in blood-induced arthritis and exploring new protective methods. AIM: The purpose of this study was to determine iron regulation of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) and SRY-box 9 (SOX9) in human chondrocytes, an area which is unexplored in blood-induced arthritis cartilage degradation pathogenesis. METHODS: Expression of FGF23, SOX9, MMP13 and collagen Ⅱ in articular cartilage of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) or haemophilic arthritis (HA) was determined by western blot (WB). Iron-induced FGF23 and SOX9 mRNA and protein expression in primary human normal chondrocyte cells (HUM-iCell-s018) was quantified by qRT-PCR and WB, respectively. RESULTS: We found that compared with OA patients, the expression of FGF23, MMP13 in articular cartilage of patients with HA was up-regulated, while the expression of SOX9, collagen Ⅱ was down-regulated. Iron-induced FGF23 and suppressed SOX9 expression in chondrocytes in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrated that iron was involved in hemophilic cartilage lesion directly via changing cartilage phenotype through regulation of FGF23 and SOX9 expression in chondrocytes.