Hypoxia. HIF-mediated articular chondrocyte function: prospects for cartilage repair
The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, 65 Aspenlea Road, London W6 8LH, UK
Arthritis Research & Therapy 2009, 11:213 doi:10.1186/ar2574
Published: 5 February 2009Abstract
In a chronically hypoxic tissue such as cartilage, adaptations to hypoxia do not merely include cell survival responses, but also promotion of its specific function. This review will focus on describing such hypoxia-mediated chondrocyte function, in particular in the permanent articular cartilage. The molecular details of how chondrocytes sense and respond to hypoxia and how this promotes matrix synthesis have recently been examined, and specific manipulation of hypoxia-induced pathways is now considered to have potential therapeutic application to maintenance and repair of articular cartilage.
