Extracellular ATP and UTP stimulate cartilage proteoglycan and collagen accumulation in bovine articular chondrocyte pellet cultures

• Published in: Biochimica et biophysica acta Vol. 1502; no. 2; pp. 297 - 306
• Main Authors: Croucher, L.J., Crawford, A., Hatton, P.V., Russell, R.G.G., Buttle, D.J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 18.10.2000
• Subjects: Adenosine Triphosphate - metabolism; Adenosine Triphosphate - pharmacology; Animals; Cartilage, Articular - cytology; Cartilage, Articular - drug effects; Cartilage, Articular - metabolism; Cattle; Cell Count; Cell Survival - drug effects; Cells, Cultured; Chondrocyte; Chondrocytes - drug effects; Chondrocytes - metabolism; Collagen; Collagen - metabolism; Culture Media, Serum-Free; Extracellular nucleotide triphosphate; Half-Life; Histocytochemistry; Minerals - metabolism; Proteoglycan; Proteoglycans - metabolism; Uridine Triphosphate - metabolism; Uridine Triphosphate - pharmacology; Proteoglycan; Chondrocyte; Collagen; Extracellular nucleotide triphosphate
• ISSN: 0925-4439; 0006-3002; 1879-260X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0925-4439(00)00055-7

Bovine articular chondrocytes were maintained in high density pellet cultures with and without serum and nucleotide triphosphates for different periods of time. Despite half-lives in culture of about 3 h, adenosine triphosphate and uridine triphosphate in the presence of serum increased sulphated glycosaminoglycan and collagen deposition above control levels. In the presence of serum a single dose of uridine triphosphate on the first day of culture was sufficient to induce significant increases in subsequent proteoglycan and collagen deposition. We conclude that both adenine triphosphate and uridine triphosphate are anabolic for articular chondrocytes, and that this effect on the chondrocyte is long-term.