An investigation of a novel treatment option for osteoarthritis

Krista M O'Shaughnessey, Purdue University

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a very debilitating disease, and there are currently no common treatment options that act to retard or prevent its progression. It is well-known that inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) play a pivotal role in the developmental stages of OA. An in vitro assay has been developed to test the theory that an autologous protein solution (APS) containing high levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines can be prepared and used to reduce the effects of corresponding inflammatory cytokines. Preparation of the APS consisted of processing human blood in a gravitational platelet separator (GPSIII ®, Biomet Biologics, Inc.) to produce platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and subsequently processing the PRP in a modified Plasmax® device to produce a highly concentrated anti-inflammatory solution. A functional assay was designed using IL-1β to upregulate interleukin-8 (IL-8) production by human monocytes. IL-8 is a known mediator of the local inflammatory response. The IL-8 production was then reduced by the addition of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra). Subsequent studies were then performed in which APS was used as a substitution for IL-1ra to determine if a reduced inflammatory response could be identified in vitro. Analyses were performed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, and all statistical analyses were performed using the student’s t-test. The results revealed that APS can be used to reduce the effects of inflammatory cytokines in vitro, thereby validating its potential use as an autologous treatment for OA.

Degree

M.S.B.M.E.

Advisors

Panitch, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Cellular biology|Biomedical engineering|Medicine

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