Solubility properties of alkaline phosphatase from matrix vesicles.

Alkaline phosphatase has been extracted from matrix vesicles of a calcifying cartilage with 0.15 M KCl, 0.4 M guanidinium chloride and 0.05 M deoxycholate/50% butanol mixture. The catalytic properties of the three extracts have been compared. Although the highest amount of enzyme activity is extracted with the latter reagent (55%), some of it is also extracted with KCl (11%) and guanidinium (7%). By submitting isolated matrix vesicles to a short time sonication the distribution pattern of the alkaline phosphatase activity in the extracts is clearly modified, as the amount extracted with KCl increases from 14 to 50% and the portion extracted with deoxycholate decreases from 55 to 27% of the total enzyme activity of matrix vesicles. The enzymatic preparations were comparable on the basis of specific activities, affinity for the substrates (p-nitrophenylphosphate, ATP), thermostability, sensitivity to inhibitors and activators. By electrofocusing a value of pI = 4.15 was found for the alkaline phosphatase of matrix vesicles independently of the extraction medium. These results contradict the concept that alkaline phosphatase is exclusively an intrinsic membrane protein.

Membrane stretch activates a potassium channel in pig articular chondrocytes.

Activity of stretch-activated potassium channels has been recorded in articular chondrocytes using patch-clamp technique. Pressure dependence is described by a sigmoidal function with a half-maximum effect at -20.5 mbar. Selectivity for potassium is demonstrated by agreement between the reversal potential measured at different [K+]o and the prediction of Nernst equation and by block of these channels by caesium.

Sensitivity of chondrocytes of growing cartilage to reactive oxygen species.

Vascular invasion of calcified cartilage, during endochondral ossification, is initiated and sustained by invasive cells (endothelial cells and macrophages) which degrade the tissue by releasing lytic enzymes. Concurrently, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are also released by these cells and we hypothesize that ROS also contribute to the degradation of the tissue. As a preliminary approach to this problem, the antioxidant activities and the effect of ROS on hypertrophic cartilage and chondrocytes (HCs) were investigated. Compared to resting or articular chondrocytes, HCs exhibited higher catalase but lower SOD specific activities and lower PHGPx concentration, thus revealing a defence activity specific against H2O2. Moreover, dose-dependent depletion of ATP occurred after few minutes of exposure to ROS, and a long-term treatment (16 h incubation with ROS) promoted the release of LDH activity and a significant variation of the poly- to mono-unsaturated fatty acid ratio. Finally, the incubation of HCs with low ROS doses induced the release of sedimentable alkaline phosphatase activity (matrix vesicles). How the obtained results fit the in vivo occurring events is discussed.

A possible role for polyamines in cartilage in the mechanism of calcification.

The role of polyamines in cartilage is not known: they may be somehow related to the mechanism of calcification. In epiphyseal cartilage from calf scapulas, they are more concentrated in the ossifying area, where calcification takes place, than in the resting region. Spermidine is present in greater amounts than spermine and putrescine. Since ornithine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.17) is measurable only in the resting region of the tissue, it is in this area that polyamine biosynthesis occurs, while they accumulate in the ossifying area. Immunohistochemical evidence is obtained that only in the ossifying zone is spermidine extracellular. It is at this level that the matrix is rearranged to become calcified, and proteoglycans are dissociated and partially removed. The effect of polyamines on solutions of proteoglycan subunits has been studied in vitro by following variations of turbidity and viscosity. While in the presence of putrescine the specific viscosity decreases to asymptotic values, in the presence of either 30 mM spermidine or 2.5-10 mM spermine, the decrement is more marked. At the same concentrations, increase of the turbidity of proteoglycan subunit solutions was observed. Only spermidine showed the capacity of displacing proteoglycan subunits from a column of Sepharose 4B-type II collagen: at 15 mM concentration, about 90% of proteoglycans were removed from the column. Alkaline phosphatase activity, which plays an important role in calcification, is enhanced by spermidine and spermine. These results obtained in vitro support the hypothesis that polyamines may be related to calcification of preosseous cartilage.

The aggregation of pig articular chondrocyte and synthesis of extracellular matrix by a lactose-modified chitosan.

A reductive amination reaction (N-alkylation) obtained exploiting the aldheyde group of lactose and the amino group of the glucosamine residues of chitosan (d.a. 89%) afforded a highly soluble engineered polysaccharide (chitlac) for a potential application in the repair of the articular cartilage. Chitosan derivatives with 9% and 64% of side chain groups introduced have been prepared and characterized by means of potentiometric titration, (1)H-NMR and intrinsic viscosity. Both polymers, with respect to the unmodified chitosan, induce cell aggregation when in contact with a primary culture of pig chondrocytes, leading to the formation of nodules of considerable dimensions (up to 0.5-1 mm in diameter). The nodules obtained from chondrocytes treated with chitlac with the higher degree of substitution have been studied by means of optical and electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) and the production of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and collagen has been measured by means of colorimetric assays. The chondro-specificity of GAG and collagen was determined by RT-PCR. The results show that the lactose-modified chitosan is non-toxic and stimulates the production of aggrecan and type II collagen.

Ca2+ oscillations and intercellular Ca2+ waves in ATP-stimulated articular chondrocytes.

Cytosolic Ca2+ oscillations are known to occur in many cell types stimulated with agonists linked to the phosphoinositide signaling pathway. Trains of repetitive short-lasting Ca2+ spikes could be induced in articular chondrocytes by extracellular ATP, an agonist potently effective in stimulating cartilage resorption. The mechanism of these Ca2+ oscillations was studied by computerized video imaging on primary cultures of articular chondrocytes. Few cycles of oscillatory activity could be evoked in the absence of extracellular Ca2+, while, for oscillations to be sustained, Ca2+ influx was required. Thapsigargin irreversibly blocked Ca2+ oscillations, thus demonstrating the crucial involvement of intracellular stores in triggering the rhythmic activity. Apart from activating intracellular Ca2+ release, extracellular ATP also induced a noncapacitive Ca2+ influx in these cells. This ATP-mediated influx modulates both the oscillation frequency and intracellular stores refilling. In monolayers of confluent cells, Ca2+ oscillations spread from cell to cell in the form of intercellular waves. Propagating waves could also be observed in the absence of extracellular Ca2+, demonstrating that Ca2+ itself is not required for signal coordination. These results demonstrate that complex spatiotemporal pathways of Ca2+ oscillations and intercellular Ca2+ waves could be activated in articular chondrocytes during degenerative diseases.

Gap junctions mediate intercellular calcium signalling in cultured articular chondrocytes.

Gap junction-mediated intercellular communication has been implicated in a variety of cellular functions. Among these, signal transduction can be coordinated among several cells due to gap junctional permeability to intracellular second messengers. Chondrocytes from articular cartilage in primary culture respond to extracellular ATP by rhythmically increasing their cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. Digital imaging fluorescence microscopy of Fura-2 loaded cells was used to monitor Ca2+ in confluent and semi-confluent cell layers. Under these conditions, Ca2+ spikes propagate from cell to cell giving rise to intercellular Ca2+ waves. The functional expression of gap junctions was assessed, in confluent chondrocyte cultures, by the intercellular transfer of Lucifer yellow dye in scrape-loading experiments. Intercellular dye transfer was blocked by the gap junction inhibitor 18 alpha-glycyrrhetinic acid. In imaging experiments, the inhibitor caused the loss of synchrony of ATP-induced Ca2+ oscillations, and blocked the intercellular Ca2+ propagation induced by mechanical stimulation of a single cell in a monolayer. It is concluded that gap junctions mediate intercellular signal transduction in cartilage cells and may provide a mechanism for co-ordinating their metabolic activity.

Propagation of intercellular Ca2+ waves in mechanically stimulated articular chondrocytes.

Intercellular Ca2+ signalling in primary cultures of articular chondrocytes was investigated with digital fluorescence video imaging. Mechanical stimulation of a single cell induced a wave of increased Ca2+ that was communicated to surrounding cells. Intercellular Ca2+ spreading was inhibited by 18alpha-glycyrrhetinic acid, demonstrating the involvement of gap junctions in signal propagation. In the absence of extracellular Ca2+ mechanical stimulation failed to induce Ca2+ responses and communicated Ca2+ waves. Under these conditions Ca2+ microinjection induced intercellular waves involving the cells immediately surrounding the stimulated one. Mechanical stress induced Ca2+ influx in the stimulated, but not in the adjacent cells, as assessed by the Mn2+ quenching technique. Cell treatment with thapsigargin failed to block mechanically induced signal propagation, but significantly reduced the number of cells involved in the communicated Ca2+ wave. Similar results were obtained with the phospholipase C inhibitor U73122, which is known to prevent InsP3 generation. These results provide evidence that mechanical stimulation induces a cytosolic Ca2+ increase that may permeate gap junctions, thus acting as an intercellular messenger mediating cell-to-cell communication in articular chondrocytes.

In vitro biosynthesis by articular chondrocytes of a specific low molecular size proteoglycan pool.

Proteoglycans synthesized by articular and epiphyseal chondrocytes in culture were compared. Proteoglycans extruded by the two types of cells into the culture medium are of identical Mr. On the other hand, the proteoglycans of cells or pericellular matrix synthesized by the articular chondrocytes are characterized by an heterogeneous fraction of low-Mr which is not present in the material derived from epiphyseal chondrocytes. There are at least two components in this fraction: the first seems to be a precursor of aggregated proteoglycans, the other may represent a component of cell coat. Stimulation of the cell cultures with vitamin D metabolites and somatomedin enhances proteoglycan biosynthesis but no modification is observed in the proteoglycan Mr.

Zinc mapping in bone tissues by histochemistry and synchrotron radiation-induced X-ray emission: correlation with the distribution of alkaline phosphatase.

Zinc distribution in osteons was mapped by synchrotron radiation-induced X-ray emission analysis in both human and porcine adult bone, as well as in porcine bone by histochemistry using Timm's method. Both procedures showed that zinc is not uniformly distributed, being in its highest concentration on haversian bone surfaces. When Timm's method was applied in conjunction with a procedure leading to partial zinc extraction, three zinc pools were specifically detected: a loose one, found in the mineralizable osteoid; a mineral one, bound to the bone mineral; and a tenacious one, firmly bound to an organic component located in the osteoid and mineralizing organic matrix. The alkaline phosphatase distribution was also mapped in porcine adult bone by histochemistry and immunohistochemistry and it was found codistributed with tenacious zinc mainly at the calcification front. The data suggest that alkaline phosphatase is buried as a bone matrix protein during initial mineralization.

Propofol blocks voltage-gated potassium channels in human T lymphocytes.

The effect of propofol (PR) on voltage-gated potassium channels (KV) in human T lymphocytes (TL) was studied using the patch-clamp technique in the whole-cell configuration. PR was found to reversibly block the KV channels in a dose-dependent manner with a half-blocking concentration of approximately 40 microM. The decrease in the peak current caused by PR was voltage-independent. The activation time constant of the whole-cell potassium currents remained unaffected upon PR treatment, whereas both the rate and extent of the inactivation process were increased, indicating the "open channel block" mechanism. The PR half-blocking concentration was of the same order of magnitude as PR blood concentrations employed in anesthesia. Taking into account the extensive use of PR and the important role of KV channels in human TL, these results suggest a need for investigations into the effect of PR on TL cell-function regulation.

Articular cartilage repair in rabbits by using suspensions of allogenic chondrocytes in alginate.

The feasibility of allogenic implants of chondrocytes in alginate gels was tested for the reconstruction in vivo of artificially full-thickness-damaged articular rabbit cartilage. The suspensions of chondrocytes in alginate were gelled by the addition of calcium chloride solution directly into the defects giving in situ a construct perfectly inserted and adherent to the subchondral bone and to the walls of intact cartilage. The tissue repair was controlled at 1, 2, 4 and 6 months after the implant by NMR microscopy, synchrotron radiation induced X-ray emission to map the sulfur of glycosaminoglycans and by histochemistry. Practically a complete repair of the defect was observed 4-6 months from the implant of the chondrocytes with the recovery of a normal tissue structure. Controls in which Ca-alginate alone was implanted developed only a fibrous cartilage.

Transverse relaxation mechanisms in articular cartilage.

Relaxation rates in the rotating frame (R1rho) and spin-spin relaxation rates (R2) were measured in articular cartilage at various orientations of cartilage layer to the static magnetic field (B0), at various spin locking field strengths and at two different static magnetic field strengths. It was found that R1rho in the deep radial zone depended on the orientation of specimens in the magnet and decreased with increasing the spin locking field strength. In contrast, R1rho values in the transitional zone were nearly independent of the specimen orientation and the spin locking field strength. Measurements of the same specimens at 2.95 and 7.05 T showed an increase of R1rho and most R2 values with increasing B0. The inverse B0 dependence of some R2 values was probably due to a multicomponent character of the transverse magnetization decay. The experiments revealed that the dominant T1rho and T2 relaxation mechanism at B0 < or = 3 T is a dipolar interaction due to slow anisotropic motion of water molecules in the collagen matrix. On average, the contribution of scalar relaxation due to rapid proton exchange in femoral head cartilage at 2.95 T is about 6% or less of the total R1rho at the spin locking field of 1000 Hz.

Short-TE projection reconstruction NMR microscopy of trabecular bone.

The aim of this study was to assess the potential of projection reconstruction (PR) NMR microscopy in the quantitative evaluation of trabecular bone architecture. Short-TE PR spin-echo microimages were acquired at 7.05 T on normal bone explants. The main structural parameters such as bone volume fraction (BVF), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th.) and trabecular separation (Tb.Sp.) were obtained from the 3D microimages using the method of directed secants. Quantitative structural data were then compared with those derived from conventional spin-echo microimages. Our study indicates that projection reconstruction NMR microscopy promises to be more accurate than the conventional FTI method in the analysis of trabecular bone.

Investigation of laminar appearance of articular cartilage by means of magnetic resonance microscopy.

Magnetic resonance (MR) images and relaxation and diffusion maps of articular cartilage were obtained to explain discrepancies in its MR appearance. Porcine specimens were studied only by MR microscopy. For human specimens a combination of MR microscopy and large-scale MR imaging was used. Common features in the laminar structures of human and porcine samples are described. It was found that the decay of transverse magnetization was nonexponential with a rapidly decaying component which prevented construction of reliable proton-density maps. Dependence of T2 values on the orientation of specimens in the magnetic field as well as magnetization transfer experiments supported the previous suggestions about a significant role of dipolar interaction with protons of collagen in the laminar appearance of articular cartilage. The loss of the laminar structure induced by rotation of the human cartilage specimen around the axis normal to its surface demonstrated nonuniform angular distribution of the collagen fibers within the layer.

Intercellular Ca2+ waves in mechanically stimulated articular chondrocytes.

Articular cartilage is a tissue designed to withstand compression during joint movement and, in vivo, is subjected to a wide range of mechanical loading forces. Mechanosensitivity has been demonstrated to influence chondrocyte metabolism and cartilage homeostasis, but the mechanisms underlying mechanotransduction in these cells are poorly understood. In many cell types mechanical stimulation induces increases of the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration that propagates from cell to cell as an intercellular Ca2+ wave. Cell-to-cell communication through gap junctions underlies tissue co-ordination of metabolism and sensitivity to extracellular stimuli: gap junctional permeability to intracellular second messengers allows signal transduction pathways to be shared among several cells, ultimately resulting in co-ordinated tissue responses. Mechanically-induced Ca2+ signalling was investigated with digital fluorescence video imaging in primary cultures of rabbit articular chondrocytes. Mechanical stimulation of a single cell, obtained by briefly distorting the plasmamembrane with a micropipette, induced a wave of increased Ca2+ that was communicated to surrounding cells. Intercellular Ca2+ spreading was inhibited by 18 alpha-glycyrrhetinic acid, suggesting the involvement of gap junctions in signal propagation. The functional expression of gap junctions was assessed, in confluent chondrocyte cultures, by the intercellular transfer of Lucifer yellow dye in microinjection experiments while the expression of connexin 43 could be detected in Western blots. A series of pharmacological tools known to interfere with the cell calcium handling capacity were employed to investigate the mechanism of mechanically-induced Ca2+ signalling. In the absence of extracellular Ca2+ mechanical stimulation induced communicated Ca2+ waves similar to controls. Mechanical stress induced Ca2+ influx both in the stimulated chondrocyte but not in the adjacent cells, as assessed by the Mn2+ quenching technique. Cells treatment with thapsigargin and with the phospholipase C inhibitor U73122 blocked mechanically-induced signal propagation. These results provide evidence that in chondrocytes mechanical stimulation activates phospholipase C, thus leading to an increase of intracellular inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. The second messenger, by permeating gap junctions, stimulates intracellular Ca2+ release in neighbouring cells. Intercellular Ca2+ waves may provide a mechanism to co-ordinate tissue responses in cartilage physiology.

Spatial and temporal Ca2+ signalling in articular chondrocytes.

Stimulation of pig articular chondrocytes with either bradykinin, fetal calf serum or the Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin induced increases of the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. By computerized videoimaging, the spatial and temporal aspects of the Ca2+ signal were revealed at single cell level. The cell response depended on Ca2+ release from intracellular stores without significant contribution of Ca2+ influx. A great heterogeneity in the cell population was found with respect to the Ca2+ storage ability. The Ca2+ response initiated in a discrete subcellular region and then spread in a nondecremental fashion to involve the whole cytosol. Such a behaviour was independent of the stimulus applied, thus suggesting a functional heterogeneity of the intracellular Ca2+ stores involved. In the region from which the response started, local Ca2+ spikes were recorded, revealing a spatially restricted pulsatile activity.

Potassium channels of pig articular chondrocytes are blocked by propofol.

The effect of propofol on the voltage-activated potassium channels in pig articular chondrocytes was investigated. Propofol was found to reversibly block the potassium channels in a dose-dependent manner. The blocking effect was voltage-independent and the Hill coefficient was 1.85 +/- 0.18. No changes either in the slope conductance or in the single channel kinetics were observed. The half-blocking concentration (Ec50) was 6.0 +/- 0.49 microM which is much lower than the concentrations used to observe the scavenging effect of the drug in an artificial synovial fluid. Interestingly, Ec50 found in our experiments is also smaller than the blood concentration of propofol used in anaesthesia. These results show that propofol may strongly affect the potassium channels in some non-excitable cells.