Patients treated for knee disorders were included in this study. They were examined clinically (Lequesne and Tegner scores) and by standard X-ray investigation. Patients underwent a surgical procedure, either arthroscopy or knee replacement. At the initial phase of surgery, a sample of cartilage was taken for laboratory examination. Progression of the disorder and the clinical examination was correlated with the actual state of the cartilage using a novel fluorescence approach. The intrinsic fluorescence of cartilages was shown as a suitable and sensitive method for detection of the actual state of cartilages because the correlation with X-ray examination and clinical status was found. Intrinsic fluorescence properties of cartilages from patients with chondropathy and osteoarthritis were described and found to be age-dependent. We also observed a higher concentration of advanced glycation end products due to inflammatory and/or degenerative processes in the cartilage. In addition, acute pathological changes due to diseases such as meniscal lesions or anterior cruciate ligament rupture caused a significant increase of formation of advanced glycation end products even in the group of young patients. In fact, such an observation could be crucial and important for the detection of knee conditions suspected of early meniscal and/or ACL lesions especially among young patients., M. Handl, E. Filová, M. Kubala, Z. Lánský, L. Koláčná, J. Vorlíček, T. Trč, M. Pach, E. Amler., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
The effect of oral supplementation with glycosaminoglycans (GAG) and radical scavengers (vitamin E/selenium) on the regeneration of osteochondral defects was investigated in rabbits. After introduction of defined osteochondral defects in the knee joint, groups of ten animals were given a GAG/vitamin E/selenium mixture or a placebo (milk sugar) for 6 weeks. Following sacrifice, histological and histochemical analysis was performed. The amount of synovial fluid was increased in the placebo group, while the viscosity of the synovial fluid was significantly enhanced in the GAG group. The amount of sulfated GAG in the osteochondral regenerates (8.8±3.6 % vs. 6.0±5.6 %; p<0.03) was significantly higher in the GAG group. In both groups, the GAG amount in the cartilage of the operated knee was significantly higher than in the non-involved knee (p<0.05). Histological analysis of the regenerates in the GAG group was superior in comparison with the placebo group. For the first time, a biological effect following oral supplementation with GAG was demonstrated in healing of osteochondral defects in vivo. These findings support the known positive clinical results., M. Handl, E. Amler, K. Bräun, J. Holzheu, T. Trč, A. B. Imhoff, A. Lytvynets, E. Filová, H. Kolářová, A. Kotyk, V. Martínek., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy