Age-related decrease in the link-stability of proteoglycan aggregates formed by articular chondrocytes
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Updated: Oct 21, 2026

Real-time Visualization and Analysis of Chondrocyte Injury Due to Mechanical Loading in Fully Intact Murine Cartilage Explants
Published on: January 7, 2019
Abstract:
Chondrocytes were isolated from the articular cartilage of rabbits aged between 6 and 50 weeks and labelled with [35S]sulphate after 48 h in monolayer culture. The percentage of the total proteoglycan monomers synthesized by each culture that were present as link-stabilized aggregates was shown to be about 83% at 6, 9 and 12 weeks, 73% at 15 weeks, 48% at 30 weeks and 32% at 50 weeks. The proliferative activity of the cells in culture also decreased markedly with the age of the donor. The results suggest that aging of chondrocytes in vivo is accompanied by a decrease in their capacity for link-protein synthesis.
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