title: Cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2) for tissue engineering of articular cartilage--from a developmental model to first results of tissue and scaffold expression.
abstract: Tissue engineering of articular cartilage remains an ongoing challenge. Since tissue regeneration recapitulates ontogenetic processes the growth plate can be regarded as an innovative model to target suitable signalling molecules and growth factors for the tissue engineering of cartilage. In the present study we analysed the expression of cyclooxygenases (COX) in a short-term chondrocyte culture in gelatin-based scaffolds and in articular cartilage of rats and compared it with that in the growth plate. Our results demonstrate the strong cellular expression of COX-1 but only a focal weak expression of COX-2 in the seeded scaffolds. Articular cartilage of rats expresses homogeneously COX-1 and COX-2 with the exception of the apical cell layer. Our findings indicate a functional role of COX in the metabolism of articular chondrocytes. The expression of COX in articular cartilage and in the seeded scaffolds opens interesting perspectives to improve the proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes in scaffold materials by addition of specific receptor ligands of the COX system.
authors.affiliation: REPAIRlab, Institute of Pathology, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany. brochhausen@pathologie.klinik.uni-mainz.de
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brochhausen
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zehbe
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: Jeanette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Libera
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schubert
authors.forename: Rolf M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Nüsing
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Klaus
authors.forename: C James
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kirkpatrick
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D020219:Chondrogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2