title: Carboxymethyl-chitosan protects rabbit chondrocytes from interleukin-1beta-induced apoptosis.
abstract: Chondrocyte apoptosis is important in pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. Chitosan is a non-toxic, biodegradable and biocompatible glycosaminoglycan. In this study, the effects of carboxymethyl-chitosan (CM-chitosan), a soluble derivative of chitosan, on chondrocyte apoptosis were investigated. Primary rabbit chondrocytes were cultured and induced to apoptosis by 10 ng/ml interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta). After treatment with various concentrations of CM-chitosan (50, 100, 200 microg/ml), the apoptotic rate, mitochondrial function, nitric oxide production, and the levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA and reactive oxygen species in IL-1beta-induced chondrocytes were examined. The results showed that CM-chitosan could inhibit chondrocyte apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, it could partly restore the levels of mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP, decrease nitric oxide production by down-regulation of iNOS mRNA expression, and scavenge reactive oxygen species in chondrocytes induced by IL-1beta. The results suggested that the inhibitory effects of CM-chitosan on IL-1beta-induced chondrocyte apoptosis were possibly due to the protection of mitochondrial function, the decline in the levels of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shi-Qing
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yu-Ming
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Li-Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D048271:Chitosan / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D051336:Mitochondrial Membranes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C514968:carboxymethyl-chitosan; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D048271:Chitosan; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II