Role of inflammation in cartilage regeneration
- Inflammation and chondrogenesis
Role of LTC4 in cartilage regeneration?
Aim: To investigate the effect of Leukotriene 4 (LTC4) on the inflammation process in chondrocytes, and how it may support chondrogenesis.
Short description: Osteoarthritis is a large problem in sports horses. The role of inflammation in tissue injury is controversial. Tissue healing cannot occur without inflammation, but intraarticular inflammation leads to destruction of the articular cartilage, and therefore part of treatment of OA is antiinflammatory. Despite many years of research there is still no effective cure for OA. Anti-inflammatory drugs limit the symptoms, but the cartilage does not heal.
General consensus is that inflammation is detrimental to tissue generation and regeneration. In this study we challenge this statement and suggest that inflammation may play a positive role in cartilage tissue formation.
Overall hypothesis: Inflammation is essentiel for cartilage tissue regeneration
Studies in other tissues similar to cartilage with limited blood supply and low metabolic activity have shown that individual components of the inflammatory cascade may have a positive effect on tissue healing. Leukotriene 4 has been suggested as a candidate, since it has shown encouraging results in e.g. neural tissue.
Study hypothesis: Inflammatory molecule leukotriene 4 has an anabolic effect on chondrogenesis
Main investigator: Lise C. Berg
Project plan: The project will be based on cell culture experiments, histology and histochemistry, as well as mRNA and miRNA expression analyses. The experiments will take place during 2016 in part as a veterinary master thesis project.
Funding: The project is generously funded by Hesteafgiftsfonden, http://www.hesteafgiftsfonden.dk