title: Control of repair in articular tissues and the development of osteoarthritis.
abstract: Bones from different mammalian species, including man, contain a low molecular weight extractable activity which stimulates proteoglycan synthesis by connective tissue cells in culture ("matrigenin" activity). Partial purification of matrigenin activity has been achieved from bovine bone. The activity shows a strong tendency for reversible physical associations in low ionic strength solutions and binds tightly to collagenous and other bone matrix proteins. It is speculated that the pathophysiological role of matrigenins may be to initiate repair during injury to bone. Chronic repair reactions are more likely to occur at sites of repeated anatomical stress at the ligamentous, tendon and synovial attachments at the ends of bones, in the subchondral bone and in the articular cartilage regions abbuting to subchondral bone. At these sites, repair reactions may be broadly viewed as the development of osteophytes and fibrocartilage and the progression of subchondral bone sclerosis. Repeated anatomical stress leads to the activation of extracellular, small molecular weight factors, which in turn, stimulate the biosynthesis of matrix macromolecules that are an important feature of these repair reactions of osteoarthritis.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001857:Bone Matrix / Q000032:analysis*; D001861:Bone Regeneration; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000378:metabolism; D002417:Cattle; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical
chemical_list: D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D011509:Proteoglycans