Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Immunohistochemical analysis of ageing and osteoarthritic articular cartilage

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Molecular Histology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Articular cartilage degeneration seen in osteoarthritis is primarily the consequence of events within the articular cartilage that leads to the production of proteases by chondrocytes. 22 osteoarthritic cartilage specimens were obtained from patients with primary osteoarthritis (46–81 years) undergoing total knee replacement. 12 age-matched (41–86 years) and 16 young (16–40 years) non-osteoarthritic control cartilage specimens were obtained from the cadavers in the department of Anatomy and from patients undergoing lower limb amputation in Trauma center of PGIMER, Chandigarh. 5 μ thick paraffin sections were stained for osteocalcin, osteopontin, osteonectin and alkaline phosphatase to analyze their expression in hypertrophied chondrocytes and osteoarthritic cartilage matrix and to compare the staining intensity with that of normal ageing articular cartilage. Immunohistochemical staining of tissue sections revealed moderate to strong cytoplasmic staining for all four stains in all the specimens of the osteoarthritic group compared to age-matched control. The immunohistochemical scores were significantly higher in the osteoarthritic group for all four stains. The features of the osteoarthritic articular cartilage were markedly different from the non-osteoarthritic age-matched articular cartilage suggesting that osteoarthritis is not an inevitable feature of aging.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Balcerzak M, Hamade E, Zhang L, Pikula S, Azzar G, Radisson J, Bandorowicz-Pikula J, Buchet R (2003) The roles of annexins and alkaline phosphatase in mineralization process. Acta Biochim Pol 50:1019–1038

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brambilla E, Negoescu A, Gazzeri S, Lantuejoul S, Moro D, Brambilla C, Coll JC (1996) Apoptosis related factors p53, Bcl-2, Bax in neuroendocrine Luna tumors. Am J Pathol 149:1941–1952

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goepfert C, Lutz V, Lünse S, Kittel S, Wiegandt K, Kammal M, Püschel K, Pörtner R (2010) Evaluation of cartilage specific matrix synthesis of human articular chondrocytes after extended propagation on microcarriers by image analysis. Int J Artif Organs 33(4):204–219

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goldring MB, Goldring SR (2010) Articular cartilage and subchondral bone in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1192:230–237

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goyal N, Gupta M, Joshi K, Nagi ON (2006) Osteoarthritic femoral articular cartilage of knee joint in man. Nepal Med Coll J 8:88–92

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes LC, Archer CW, Gwynn I (2005) The ultrastructure of mouse articular cartilage: collagen orientation and implications for tissue functionality. A polarized light and scanning electron microscope study and review. Eur Cell Mater 9:68–84

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kamihagi K, Katayama M, Ouchi R, Kato I (1994) Osteonectin/SPARC regulates cellular secretion rates of fibronectin and laminin extracellular matrix proteins. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 200:423–428

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kirsch T (2006) Determinants of pathological mineralization. Curr Opin Rheumatol 18(2):174–180

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lian JB, McKee MD, Todd AM, Gerstenfeld LC (1993) Induction of bone-related proteins, osteocalcin and osteopontin and their matrix ultrastructural localization with development of chondrocyte hypertrophy in vitro. J Cell Biochem 52:206–219

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nakamura S, Kamihagi K, Satkeda H, Katayama M, Pan H, Okamota H, Noshira M, Takahashi K, Yoshira Y, Shimmei M, Okada Y, Kato Y (1996) Enhancement of SPARC (Osteonectin) synthesis in arthritic cartilage. Arthritis Rheum 39:539–551

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nakase T, Takaoka K, Hirakawa K, Hirota S, Takemura T, Onoue H, Takebayashi K, Kitamura Y, Nomura S (1994) Alterations in the expression of osteonectin, osteopontin and osteocalcin mRNAs during the development of skeletal tissues in vivo. Bone Miner 26:109–122

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pullig O, Weseloh G, Gauer S, Swoboda B (2000a) Osteopontin is expressed by adult human osteoarthritic chondrocytes: protein and mRNA analysis of normal and osteoarthritic cartilage. Matrix Biol 19:245–255

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pullig O, Weseloh G, Ronneberger DL, Kakonen SM, Swoboda B (2000b) Chondrocyte differentiation in human osteoarthritis: expression of Osteocalcin in normal and osteoarthritic cartilage and bone. Calcify Tissue Int 67:230–240

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenthal AK, Gohr CM, Uzuki M, Masuda I (2007) Osteopontin promotes pathologic mineralization in articular cartilage. Matrix Biol 26:96–105

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi for providing financial assistance for this research work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, India

    Neeru Goyal

  2. Department of Anatomy, Gian Sagar Medical College, Banur, India

    Madhur Gupta

  3. Department of Histopathology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India

    Kusum Joshi

  4. Department of Orthopaedics, Shri Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, India

    Onkar Nath Nagi

Authors
  1. Neeru Goyal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Madhur Gupta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kusum Joshi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Onkar Nath Nagi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Neeru Goyal.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Goyal, N., Gupta, M., Joshi, K. et al. Immunohistochemical analysis of ageing and osteoarthritic articular cartilage. J Mol Hist 41, 193–197 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10735-010-9278-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10735-010-9278-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation