RESEARCH - Glucocorticoids suppress proteoglycan production by human tenocytes

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Acta Orthop. 2005 Dec;76(6):927-31.

Glucocorticoids suppress proteoglycan production by human tenocytes.

Wong MW, Tang YY, Lee SK, Fu BS.

Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The Chinese University of

Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.

BACKGROUND: The role of glucocortiocid injection therapy in

spontaneous tendon rupture is controversial. We hypothesized that

glucocorticoids suppress proteoglycan production in tendon and studied

the in vitro effects of dexamethasone and triamcinolone on

proteoglycan production by cultured human tenocytes. MATERIAL AND

METHODS: We obtained primary cultures of human tenocytes from explants

of healthy human patellar tendon. The human tenocytes were treated

with 1 microM dexamethasone or 1 microM triamcinolone. The amount of

proteoglycan production was measured by 35S-sulfate incorporation

assay and compared with control cultures. The reversibility of the

effect of dexamethasone by co-incubation with 10 ng platelet-derived

growth factor (PDGFBB) was also tested. RESULTS: Treatment with 1

microM triamcinolone reduced the amount of 35S-sulfate incorporation

to 80% of control cultures (p = 0.007), whereas 1 microM dexamethasone

reduced it to 72% (p = 0.01). Co-incubation of 10 ng/mL PDGFBB with 1

microM dexamethasone returned the 35S-sulfate incorporation to a level

that was significantly higher than for dexamethasone treatment alone

(108%; p = 0.01).

INTERPRETATION: Glucocorticoids suppressed proteoglycan production in

cultured human tenocytes. The suppression by dexamethasone was

reversed by simultaneous addition of PDGFBB. Suppressed proteoglycan

production may affect the viscoelastic properties of tendon and

increase the risk of spontaneous rupture.

PMID: 16470453

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16470453

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