The effect of synovial tissue on the breakdown of articular cartilage in organ culture.
Living (pig) cartilage in contact with synovium lost both proteoglycan and collagen and sometimes became reduced to a mass of fibroblast-like chondrocytes without matrix; dead cartilage lost proteoglycan but less collagen. Similar changes appeared in living cartilage grown at a distance from the synovium but in the same dish; dead cartilage was unaffected.


CONCLUSIONS
the synovium has a) a direct, presumably enzymatic action on cartilage matrix and b) an indirect effect mediated through the chondrocytes.
D000818:Animals; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002450:Cell Communication; D002469:Cell Separation; D002470:Cell Survival; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000378:metabolism; D013552:Swine; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure
D011509:Proteoglycans; D003094:Collagen