Objectives-To investigate whether apoptosis occurs in osteoarthritis (OA), and if this phenomenon is modulated by human recombinant interleukin 1 (hrIL1 ). Methods-Human articular cartilage samples were obtained at the time of hip arthroplasty because of femoral neck fracture (normal cartilage) (n=4) or advanced coxarthrosis (OA cartilage) (n=14). Apoptotic chondrocytes, isolated by collagenase digestion and cultivated for 24 hours, or present in situ in frozen cartilage sections, were quantified by fluorescent microscopy using two apoptosis markers: the TUNEL reaction, which detects nuclear DNA fragmentation, and Annexin-V-fluos, which labels at the membrane level the externalisation of phosphatidylserine. Results-In OA cartilage 18-21% of chondrocytes showed apoptotic features, compared with 2-5% in normal cartilage. The results were similar for the two comparative studies (in situ and in vitro) and for both apoptosis markers. Moreover, hrIL1 increased the apoptosis rate in vitro in a dose dependent manner in OA and normal chondrocytes. Conclusion-These results suggest that apoptosis may be an important factor in the evolution of OA and may be a new target for treatment of OA. (Ann Rheum Dis 2000;59:959-965) Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative disease of human articular cartilage, especially in the population aged over 65 years.

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The age-specific reference curve for TBS generated here could therefore be used to help clinicians to improve osteoporosis patient management and to monitor microarchitectural changes related to treatment or other diseases in routine clinical practice.

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