Effects of cyclic tensile stress on metabolism and apoptosis of chondrocytes inrat / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effect of cyclic tensile stress (CTS) on the metabolism inand apoptosis of rat chondrocytes.Methods Primary rat chondrocytes were cultured on a Bioflex plate for one day and then stretched cyclically for 24 hours at a frequency of 0.5 Hz using a Flexcell-5000T apparatus.The cells were divided into 5 groups according to their stretching ratio0％ (the control group),2％,6％,10％ and 14％.After the stretching,Col Ⅱ,Aggrecan,MMP-13 and ADAMTS-5 mRNA were measured using qPCRs,and the NO and PGE2 levels were measured using ELISA kits.Moreover,TUNEL staining and Annexin V-FITC/PI were used to analyze the apoptosis of chondrocytes.Results Compared with the control group,the average levels of Col Ⅱ and Aggrecan mRNAdecreasedin 10％ and 14％ groups [(0.738±0.11) and (0.58±0.13),(0.75±0.11) and (0.55±0.09)].In those groups,the MMP-13 [(2.47±0.47) and (2.88±0.36)] and ADAMTS-5 mRNA level [(2.39±0.33) and (2.75±0.49)],the NO [(6.96±0.96) and (8.28±0.82)] and PGE2 level [(6.83±0.66) and (7.15±0.71)] had increased significantly.In the 6％ group the average levels of Col Ⅱ(1.76±0.30) and Aggrecan mRNA (1.93±0.14)of 6％ group were significantly higher than the control group,but the NO level of the former (3.07±0.20) was significantly lower than the control group (3.89 ± 0.33).The apoptosis rate of chondrocytesin 2％ and 6％ groups were (0.065±0.013) and (0.063 ± 0.147),without significant differences to that of the control group (0.045 ± 0.008).However,compared with the control group,apoptosis in the 10％ and 14％ groups [(0.135 ±0.026) and (0.184±0.020)] increased significantly.Conclusion The effect of cyclic tensile stress on chondrocyte metabolism and apoptosis was magnitude-dependent.Ten percent and 14％ CTS can increase the catabolism and apoptosis of chondrocytes.Ten percent and 14％ strain can increase the catabolism and apoptosis of chondrocytes.Cyclic 6％ strain can increase the anabolism of chondrocytes,but 2％ strain has no impact on metabolism or apoptosis.