Expression of the differentiated phenotype of chondrocyte in adjuvant induced arthritis of rat

Rat cartilage tissue was found to produce two types of proteoglycan monomers distinguished by density gradient centrifugation under dissociative condition and with different molecular size (PG I and PG II) as observed in cultured rabbit costal chondrocyte and human cartilaginous tissues. The incorporation of 35S-sulfate and distribution of the molecular size of proteoglycan (PG) were studied to determine the differentiated phenotypes of chondrocyte in adjuvant induced arthritis of rats. The cartilaginous tissue from the acute inflammatory phase shows a low incorporation of 35S-sulfate into PGs but produce the same hydrodynamic size as that of the control. After that acute phase the incorporation recovered suggesting of a repair phase. But in the chronic phase both the incorporation and the produced hydrodynamic size of PGs were severely alternated. With our method this paper shows the drastic alternation about the cartilaginous properties of rat chondrocytes under these circumstances.