B. Kurz et M. Schunke, ARTICULAR CHONDROCYTES AND SYNOVIOCYTES IN CULTURE - INFLUENCE OF ANTIOXIDANTS ON LIPID-PEROXIDATION AND PROLIFERATION, ANNALS OF ANATOMY-ANATOMISCHER ANZEIGER, 179(5), 1997, pp. 439-446
Chondrocytes and synoviocytes are the main cell types in articular joi
nts. Articular cartilage is fed by synoviocytes via synovial fluid and
has a low partial oxygen pressure. Thus, chondrocytes show oxygen rad
ical protective mechanisms in vivo and are unprotected against these f
actors under common culture conditions. We investigated the influence
of ascorbic acid, Fe2+, glutathione and alpha-tocopherol on lipid pero
xidation and proliferation of rat articular chondrocytes and rabbit sy
noviocytes (HIG-82) in vitro. A combination of ascorbic acid and Fe2induced the production of thiobarbituric acid-reactive material as a m
arker of radical-mediated lipid peroxidation in homogenates and/or sup
ernatants of cultured chondrocytes and synoviocytes. The amount of lip
id peroxidation of chondrocytes was about 3-fold high er than that of
synoviocytes. Ascorbic acid or Fe2+ alone had no significant influence
on the production of thiobarbituric acid-reactive material. Lipid per
oxidation could be abolished by addition of the radical scavenger alph
a-tocopherol, whereas glutathione had no effect. 25-50 mu M alpha-toco
pherol decreased the ascorbic acid - (100 mu g/ml) and Fe2+ - (3 mu M)
induced lipid peroxidation to a basal level. Moreover, ascorbic acid
inhibited the proliferation of rat chondrocytes and rabbit synoviocyte
s measured by [H-3]-thymidine incorporation. Alpha-tocopherol and glut
athione had no influence on the proliferation of chondrocytes but alph
a-tocopherol decreased the growth of synoviocytes and increased the an
ti-proliferative effect of ascorbic acid on these cells. The importanc
e of these findings for the use of ascorbic acid, glutathione and alph
a-tocopherol in chondrocyte and synoviocyte cultures, or the influence
of these molecules on the etiology and treatment of articular disease
s will be discussed.