Aggrecanases gene inhibition in chondrocytes: a new possible strategy to relieve immune rejection of transplants.
Cartilage damaged by trauma or degenerative disease has limited intrinsic potential for repair, due to lack of blood supply. The repair and reconstruction of cartilage defects are severe problems, and many patients are eager to find avenues to these matters. Until now, the number of methods used to repair cartilage defects has increased, but all of these have their own advantages and inconveniences, and do not seem to have been optimized. As the source of autologous cartilage is limited and has a high potential donor site morbidity, it is common practice to transplant allogenic cartilage instead. However, immunological rejection will happen accompanied with allogenic cartilage transplantation, affect the long viability of cartilage and result in the absorption of cartilage. Cartilage is an avascular tissue and its extracellular matrix prevents immunization of the host. The extracellular matrix acts as immunological barrier and makes the cartilage be a poor antigen tissue. So it is important to maintain the stability of cartilage matrix. The main features are the loss of aggrecan after cartilage transplantation surgery and aggrecanases play an important role in the cartilage degradation of aggrecan. We hypothesize that if we inhibit the aggrecanases gene of chondrocytes, make the extracellular matrix aggrecan of chondrocytes increasing and immunological rejection problems will be relieved. Accordingly, this will provide a new method for allogenic and tissue engineering cartilage transplantation and cartilage transplantation will be utilized widely for any clinical treatments.
Wang
Zhenghui
Z
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, Xi'an Jiao Tong University, Shaanxi 710004, China.
Yang
Zhuangqun
Z
He
Xijing
X
Tu
Junbo
J
D002356:Cartilage / Q000637:transplantation*; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000276:immunology*; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans
D010450:Endopeptidases; C083641:aggrecanase