The Effects of Extracellular Matrix on Tissue Engineering Construction of Cartilage in Vitro

In the study of bone and cartilage diseases in our laboratory, chondrocyte stereo-differentiation mod-el was cultured into cartilage tissue. The cultured cartilage tissue was closely similar to natural tissue inboth histological condition and biochemical metabolism. The model mimicked the chondrocyte differenti-ation and metabolism in vivo completely〔1〕. We studied some essential extracellular matrices, includingcollagen, proteoglycan(PG) and hyaluronic acid(HA) on the construction of grow…     

Polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMN)-derived inflammatory cytokines—regulation by oxygen tension and extracellular matrix

The kinetics of IL-8, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and IL-1β release by PMN adhered to fibronectin, laminin or plastic for 24h in response to continuousstimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 50ng/ml), n-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP; 100mm), or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA; 10ng/ml), was investigated under altered oxygen tension conditions. Cell supernatants were sampled for cytokine content every 6h and measured by ELISA. IL-8 was the most abundant cytokine, produced in a range of up to 5.4ng/ml; TNF-α and IL-1β were produced in a range of up to 1ng/ml. During normoxia, LPS was the most potent stimulus, inducing the release of each cytokine, while fMLP showed a less pronounced effect on IL-8 and IL-1β production and markedly inhibited TNF-α production. PMA markedly suppressed IL-8 and IL-1β release and failed to induce any release of TNF-α. Hypoxia had an overall inhibitory effect on cytokine release except for PMA-induced IL-1β release, and hypoxia/reoxygenation had a significant up-regulating effect except for a further inhibition of fMLP-induced release of TNF-α. Integrin–matrix protein ligation differentiated both spontaneous and externally induced cytokine release and its sensitivity to alteration in oxygen tension. Thus the process of PMN elaboration of inflammatory cytokines is controlled on multiple levels of signal transduction, differentiated by integrin–extracellular matrix interactions, and is sensitive to alterations in microenvironmental oxygen tension.     

Alterations of glomerular matrix proteins in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy

Summary Diabetic late complications are characterized by morphological and biochemical alterations of the extracellular matrix. In particular, longstanding diabetes causes quantitative and qualitative changes in basement membrane structure of retinal and renal capilleries. Immunohistochemical investigations of diabetic kidneys with diffuse glomerulosclerosis show increased collagen type IV deposition in the mesangial matrix and decreased heparan sulfate proteoglycan content in the mesangial matrix and glomerular basement membrane as well. In nodular glomerulosclerosis normal basement membrane components are decreased or absent while the occurrence of collagen type III in this stage has been interpreted as an irreversible alteration of the glomerular structure. These changes seem to be the underlying cause for the alterations in renal functions like persistent albuminuria and proteinuria. Increased intra- and extracellular levels of glucose and its derivatives are thought to be responsible for diabetic tissue dysfunction although there are reports on possible genetic defects causing increased susceptibility to develop diabetic nephropathy. Recent results, however, focuse on the role of glucose-induced cytokine secretion as mediator for altered metabolism of glomerular matrix proteins. In vitro studies with cultured kidney cells have shown that the glucose-induced dysregulation of the basement membrane synthesis may be mediated by a glucose dependent activation of protein kinase C. Alternatively or synergistically, the formation of AGE products formed after prolonged exposure of matrix proteins to elevated glucose may also lead to cytokine secretion subsequently inducing synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins. Studies in experimental animals confirm the diabetes induced dysregulation of the synthesis of extracellular matrix components on the molecular level.Abbreviations HSPG heparan sulfate proteoglycan - GBM glomerular basement membrane - ECM extracellular matrix - AGE advanced glucosylation end products - TNF tumor necrosis factor - bFGF basic fibroblast growth factor     

Suppressive effect of leflunomide metabolite (A77 1726) on metalloproteinase production in IL-1beta stimulated rheumatoid synovial fibroblasts

Leflunomide, an isoxazol derivative structurally unrelated to other immunomodulatory drugs, has proven to be efficacious in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study was conducted to elucidate the mechanism by which leflunomide mediated antirheumatic effects. We investigated the effects of A77 1726, leflunomide's active metabolite, on mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation in IL-1beta-stimulated rheumatoid synovial fibroblasts. The effects of A77 1726 on the secretion of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) from rheumatoid synovial fibroblasts were also examined. A77 1726 partially suppressed IL-1beta-induced ERK1/2 and p38 kinase activation. In contrast, A77 1726 efficiently suppressed IL-1beta-stimulated JNK1/2 kinase activation. Although no suppressive effect was demonstrated on MMP-2, A77 1726 markedly inhibited MMP-1, 3, and 13 secretions from IL-1beta-stimulated rheumatoid synovial fibroblasts. Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) was constitutively produced from rheumatoid synovial fibroblasts and the suppressive effects of A77 1726 on TIMP-1 production were minimal. Our results suggest that the suppression of the MAPK signalling pathway and MMP synthesis in rheumatoid synovial fibroblasts is a possible mechanism for the inhibitory activity of leflunomide against rheumatoid arthritis.     

Cartilage degradation products as markers for evaluation of patients with rheumatic disease

Markers of cartilage degradation hold a great, but so far underutilized potential in the research and clinical management of joint diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). With the rapid pace of development of such markers, they are likely to emerge as promising clinical tools for several uses. These roles may include: improving preclinical and clinical development in arthritis research; differentiation of patients with high and low turnover states at disease diagnosis; selection of optimal therapy and therapy dose for the individual patient; monitoring disease progression; and predicting disease outcome.This review focuses on the cartilage matrix components and the metabolites from this very special tissue that have been proposed as biochemical markers. Special attention is focused on the challenges facing the development of such markers to the standards required for widespread practical use. Examples are provided on the current use of cartilage derived biochemical markers and perspectives for the future use of markers and required clinical documentation are presented.     

Nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding the matrix protein of mumps virus (Miyahara strain)

The nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding the matrix (M) protein of mumps virus (MuV), Miyahara strain, has been determined from several overlapping cDNA clones. The M protein mRNA is 1248 nucleotides in length, exclusive of the poly(A) tail, and codes for a protein of 375 amino acids (Mr41,556). Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of the M protein of the Miyahara strain with that of the SBL-1 strain revealed that the M proteins of both strains are highly conserved. A significantly lower rate of nucleotide differences conducive to amino acid differences in the M gene compared with other genes appeared to indicate the importance of the conserved primary structure of the M protein for its function.Requests for reprints should be addressed to Kiyoshi Tanabayashi, Department of Measles Virus, National Institute of Health, 4-7-1 Gakuen, Musashimurayama, Tokyo 190-12, Japan.     

Comparative sequence analysis of the M gene among rabies virus strains and its expression by recombinant vaccinia virus

Nucleotide sequences and the deduced amino acid sequences of the gene encoding the matrix (M) protein of the Nishigahara and the CVS strains of rabies virus have been determined. The M gene is 609 nucleotides long and is capable of coding for a peptide composed of 202 amino acids. Sequence comparison of these M genes with those of other stains [Pasteur (PV), ERA, Avol] revealed that there is 89.7–91.5% homology at the nucleotide level, and 90.1–92.1% homology at amino acid level, between almost all combinations of these strains. However, in the combinations of the PV and ERA strains, and the virulent CVS and the avirulent CVS-derived Avol strains, much higher homology was observed both at the nucleotide and amino acid levels. The predicted secondary structure and hydropathy profiles also exhibited similar features. Recombinant vaccinia virus containing the M gene was constructed. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (NaDodSO₄)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the precipitates obtained by immune reaction of the recombinant virus-infected cell lysate with a monoclonal antibody against the M protein revealed that electrophoretic mobility of the expressed protein is indistinguishable from that of the authentic M protein from rabies virions.The nucleotide sequence data of the M genes of the CVS and Nishigahara (RCEH) strains reported in this paper will appear in the DDBJ, EMBL, and GenBank Nucleotide Sequence Databases under the accession numbers D90450 and D90451.     

A new pseudo-peptide of Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) with inhibitory effect on tumor metastasis and enzymatic degradation of extracellular matrix

A series of pseudo-peptide analogs of the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) sequence of fibronectin have been synthe-sized, and their anti-metastatic effects in mice and inhibitory effects on tumor cell invasion in vitro have been examined. The partially modified retro pseudo-peptide of RGD, R_rev-COCH₂CO-D (FC-63), was more effective in inhibiting tumor metastasis than the original RGDS peptide. Replacement of the malonyl moiety of FC-63 with a carboxyethylene linkage (R_rev-COCH₂CH₂-D, FC-303 ) achieved more potent inhibition of lung metastasis of melanoma cells than FC-63. Among the analogs, FC-336, a p-xylylendiamine derivative having two FC-303 moieties, showed the most potent inhibitory effect on experimental lung metastasis produced by i.v. co-injection with B16-BL6 melanoma or colon 26 M3.1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Multiple administrations of FC-336 after tumor inoculation also showed efficient therapeutic potency against spontaneous lung metastasis of B16-BL6 melanoma in mice. Furthermore, FC-336 effectively inhibited the invasion, migration and adhesion of tumor cells in vitro, but its inhibitory effects were not more than those of RGDS peptide. Zymography analysis revealed that FC-336 inhibited the degradation of gelatin substrate by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) produced by tumor cells, while the RGDS peptide did not affect the enzymatic degradation. These findings indicate that the pseudo-peptides of the RGD sequence, possessing the inhibitory property of the degradation by MMPs differently from original RGD-containing peptides, may be advantageous and useful in preventing tumor metastasis. © Rapid Science 1998     

Conversion of highly malignant colon cancer from an aggressive to a controlled disease by oral administration of a metalloproteinase inhibitor

In this study, we describe the activity of CT1746, an orally-active synthetic MMP inhibitor that has a greater specificity for gelatinase A, gelatinase B and stromelysin than for interstitial collagenase and matrilysin, in a nude mouse model that better mimics the clinical development of human colon cancer. The model is constructed by surgical orthotopic implantation (SOI) of histologically-intact tissue of the metastatic human colon tumor cell line Co-3. Animals were gavaged with CT1746 twice a day at 100 mg/kg for 5 days after the SOI of Co-3 for 43 days. In this model CT1746 significantly prolonged the median survival time of the tumor-bearing animals from 51 to 78 days. Significant efficacy of CT1746 was observed on primary tumor growth (32% reduction in mean tumor area at day 36), total spread and metastasis (6/20 treated animals had no detectable spread and metastasis at autopsy compared to 100% incidence of secondaries in control groups). Efficacy of CT1746 could also be seen on reducing tumor spread and metastasis to individual organ sites such as the abdominal wall, cecum and lymph nodes compared to vehicle and untreated controls. We conclude that chronic administration of a peptidomimetic MMP inhibitor via the oral route is feasible and results in inhibition of solid tumor growth, spread and metastasis with increase in survival in this model of human cancer, thus converting aggressive cancer to a more controlled indolent disease.