title: Effects of corticosterone on the metabolic activity of cultured chicken chondrocytes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Corticosterone is one of the most crucial glucocorticoids (GCs) in poultry. Our previous study shows that corticosterone can retard the longitudinal growth of bones by depressing the proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes in broilers. The present study was designed to investigate whether corticosterone affect the development of chondrocytes and the synthesis of collagen in vitro. The chondrocytes were isolated from proximal tibial growth plates of 6-week-old broiler chickens and cultured with different doses of corticosterone for 48 h. Then the cell viability, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the expression of parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) and type X collagen (Col X) were detected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 10(-9)-10(-6) M concentration, corticosterone significantly inhibited the viability and differentiation of chondrocytes, as indicated by decreases in ALP and type X collagen expression. Conversely, there was completely opposite effect at 10(-10) M. In addition, the expression of PTHrP was significantly downregulated at 10(-6) M and 10(-8) M, and was upregulated at 10(-10) M.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggested that corticosterone regulated chicken chondrocytes performance depending on its concentration with high concentrations inhibiting the viability and differentiation of chondrocytes and light concentrations promoting them, and these roles of corticosterone may be in part mediated through PTHrP.
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210095, China. 2011107115@njau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210095, China. zhouzl@njau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhenlei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210095, China. 2010107126@njau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jingwen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210095, China. jfhou@njau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jiafa
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002645:Chickens; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D024121:Collagen Type X / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D044162:Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D024121:Collagen Type X; D044162:Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein; D003345:Corticosterone