Connective tissue responses to altered collagen and bone implants

[3H]thymidine uptake in cells of rat condylar cartilage

Weanling rats were injected intraperitoneally with [3H]thymidine and sacrificed from 5 min to 20 days later. Their mandibular condylar cartilages were examined histologically, by thin-layer autoradiography, and by using liquid scintillation and microscopic counting methods. Labeled DNA appeared in some of the chondrocytes of the resting zone as early as 10 min postinjection, and reached the proliferative zone by 24 hr and the hypertrophic zone by 4 days. The labeling pattern in the last zone was more disperse, being oriented toward the periphery of the cells as they became hypertrophic. The maximum number of labeled chondrocytes was reached by 2 hr postinjection. These amounted to approximately 11% of the total chondrocyte population, the majority of which were located in the resting zone (73%). It is concluded that, over this period, the mitotic index for these cells is 50-60 per thousand resulting in approximately 100 labeled chondrocytes. In addition, some of the chondroclasts at the erosion front contained labeled DNA as early as 5 min after [3H]thymidine administration. By 10 min, 65% of these cells exhibited one or more labeled nuclei, and the ratio of labeled cells remained high through 20 days. Chondroclasts were seen to contain a diffuse label within their cytoplasm after 5 days. This label was similar to that seen in hypertrophic chondrocytes that had reached the erosion front by that time. Clearly, chondroclasts exhibit nuclear division and do not form from fusion of hypertrophic chondrocytes, although which specific mononuclear cells may act as chondroclast progenitors is not clear. In addition, these multinucleate resorbing cells are capable of ingesting or phagocytizing nuclear remnants from hypertrophic chondrocytes at the eroding face of cartilage.

Detection of collagen degradation products from subcutaneously implanted organic bone matrix

Demineralized bovine bone powder was reduced with NaB3H4 to label the collagen crosslinks with tritium. The powder was enclosed in small nylon mesh pouches and implanted subcutaneously into rats for 3 weeks. Histological examinations revealed that multinuclear giant cells accumulated around the bone matrix, some in Howship's lacunae. Collagenous peptides containing intermolecular crosslinks were detected in the urea-soluble fraction extracted from the implant. Two crosslink-containing peptides were isolated from a dialyzable fraction: one contained dihydroxylysinonorleucine and the other hydroxylysinonorleucine. Both peptides had molecular weights of approximately 1000 estimated from the elution positions of gel filtration chromatography; and both had similar quantitative compositions of amino acids. There were no homologous peptides detected in a control experiment of the reduced bone matrix which was incubated in vitro with buffered saline for 1 week at 37 degrees C.

Resorption of bone implants. The effect of in vivo incorporation of a diphosphonate and fluoride on resorption

Weanling isogenously related rats were divided into one control group, one group given a fluoride supplement of 100 parts/10(6) of F- in the drinking water, and a third group given 0.5 mg per kg body weight of phosphorus as dichloromethylene diphosphanic acid (Cl2MDP). The rats were labeled with 1 muCi per g body weight of 3H proline and 40 muCi of 45Ca. Four weeks after labeling, the animals were sacrificed and one scapula was implanted subcutaneously in the back of an isogenously related rat of the same age. The other scapula was stored in a freezer pending analysis. After another 4 weeks the implants were recovered and the radioactivity of each isotope was compared with that of the initially stored scapulae. A 30-40% loss of activity was found, reflecting a considerable loss of bone. However, this loss was significantly lower (P less than 0.01) when Cl2MDP was given to the donor animals, whereas fluoride treatment did not affect the resorption.