Effects of Corticosteroids on the Articular Cartilage : Have Animal Studies Said Everything?

In synovial joints, the articular cartilage is compressible and elastic and has a wear-resistant, low-frictional, and lubricated surface, which is particularly effective in resisting to the large forces of compression and shear generated by weight transmission, muscle contraction and movement (Fox et al, 2009). In articular cartilage, chondrocytes synthesize an extracellular matrix (ECM), containing collagen, proteoglycans (PG), water and noncollagenous proteins (Fox et al, 2009). Collagen is the most abundant structural macromolecule in the ECM, including 90-95% of type II collagen. In this collagen network, proteoglycans molecules are embedded, such as aggrecan (the most important). Aggrecan consists of a core protein associated with linear glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains and is connected by “link” proteins to the hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid, HA). The most ...