The immunolocalisation of VEGF in the articular cartilage of sheep mandibular condyles.
BACKGROUND
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has recently been found to be essential for hypertrophic chondrocyte apoptosis and angiogenesis at the growth plate of long bones, indicating a central role in endochondral ossification. VEGF has more recently, also been shown to be expressed in articular cartilage chondrocytes in human osteoarthritic and rheumatoarthritic joints but not healthy adult joints. To investigate the role of VEGF in the fibrocartilage of the temporomandibular joint, this study aimed to document the presence and distribution of VEGF in the condylar articular cartilage of sheep temporomandibular joints.


METHODS
Mandibular condyles of the temporomandibular joints of five 18-month old Wether sheep were fixed, decalcified, paraffin embedded and sectioned. The sections were analyzed using immunohistochemistry for VEGF.


RESULTS
VEGF was found to be localised predominantly to the proliferative and maturing layers of chondrocytes in the condylar fibrocartilage of the temporomandibular joints. Articular cartilage is an avascular and alymphatic tissue. As such, the localisation of VEGF to the articular cartilage of normal temporomandibular joint condyles suggests a role for VEGF other than angiogenesis.


CONCLUSIONS
VEGF is shown here for the first time to be present in mandibular condylar cartilage, leading us to propose a possible role in non-angiogenic extracellular matrix remodeling.
Yee
Gary
G
The Orthopaedic Research Laboratory, University of New South Wales, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick 2031, NSW, Australia.
Yu
Yan
Y
Walsh
William Robert
WR
Lindeman
Robert
R
Poole
Michael Drury
MD
D000818:Animals; D002113:Calcification, Physiologic; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002455:Cell Division; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology; D004396:Coloring Agents; D005109:Extracellular Matrix; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology; D006984:Hypertrophy; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008335:Mandibular Condyle / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000032:analysis*; D012756:Sheep; D013704:Temporomandibular Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000032:analysis*
D004396:Coloring Agents; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A