Biomimetic molecules lower catabolic expression and prevent chondroitin sulfate degradation in an osteoarthritic ex vivo model.

Aggrecan, the major proteoglycan in cartilage, serves to protect cartilage tissue from damage and degradation during the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). In cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) aggrecan exists in an aggregate composed of several aggrecan molecules that bind to a single filament of hyaluronan. Each molecule of aggrecan is composed of a protein core and glycosaminoglycan sides chains, the latter of which provides cartilage with the ability to retain water and resist compressive loads. During the progression of OA, loss of aggrecan is considered to occur first, after which other cartilage matrix components become extremely susceptible to degradation. Proteolytic cleavage of the protein core of aggrecan by enzymes such as aggrecanases, prevent its binding to HA and lower cartilage mechanical strength. Here we present the use of HA-binding or collagen type II-binding molecules that functionally mimic aggrecan but lack known cleavage sites, protecting the molecule from proteolytic degradatio...