title: Hepatocyte growth factor induction of macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 and osteophyte-inducing factors in osteoarthritis.
abstract: In osteoarthritis (OA), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is supposed to play a role in cartilage repair. Because the development of osteophytes is a major characteristic of OA and thought to be part of an attempted repair process, the purpose of this study was to determine whether HGF may be involved in osteophyte formation. HGF levels in synovial fluids from 41 patients assessed by enzyme immunosorbant assay were correlated with disease severity and osteophyte formation, evaluated by anteroposterior weight-bearing radiographs. Detection of HGF, c-Met, and CD68 in cartilage and synovial tissues was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Effects of HGF on the secretion of TGF-beta1 and BMP-2 by chondrocytes, fibroblast-like synovial cells (FLS), and macrophages as well as HGF-induced secretion of MCP-1 by FLS and chondrocytes were determined by ELISA. HGF was detected in all synovial fluids and concentrations correlated highly with disease severity and osteophyte formation (p < 0.001). Immunohistochemistry revealed weak synovial staining for HGF, whereas increasing numbers of HGF expressing chondrocytes were detected depending on disease severity. In addition, an increased number of macrophages in synovial specimens was observed, which was likewise severity dependent. In a series of subsequent in vitro studies, HGF remarkable induced MCP-1 secretion by FLS in a dose-dependent manner. No effect on TGF-beta1 and BMP-2 secretion by FLS and chondrocytes was evident upon HGF stimulation, whereas secretion of these growth factors by PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells was significantly increased by HGF. The results indicate that HGF may facilitate osteophyte development by promoting MCP-1-mediated entry of monocytes/macrophages into the OA-affected joint and/or by stimulating macrophage-derived growth factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, University Hospital of Muenster, Domagkstrasse 3, D-48149 Muenster, Germany. dankarb@uni-muenster.de
authors.forename: Berno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dankbar
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Neugebauer
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wunrau
authors.forename: Carsten O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Tibesku
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Skwara
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pap
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fuchs-Winkelmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic / Q000378:metabolism; D002356:Cartilage / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met / Q000378:metabolism; D011859:Radiography; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000097382:CD68 Molecule
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met; C111835:CCL2 protein, human; C067980:CD68 antigen, human; D000097382:CD68 Molecule