The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of estrogen on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, MMP-3, MMP-13, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 in osteoarthritic chondrocytes. Chondrocytes from the knee cartilage of 25 postmenopausal osteoarthritic (OA) patients were cultured under various conditions: 0 pg/mL, 50 pg/mL, 500 pg/mL, and 5,000 pg/mL of 17beta-estradiol, with or without 10-1,000 pg/mL of either interleukin (IL)-1beta or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha). MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-13, and TIMP-1 in the conditioned media were analyzed with immunoblot or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Type II collagenolytic activity was measured by fluorogenic type II collagenolytic activity assay. Real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using SYBR Green I dye was performed for the quantification of mRNA. Without cytokine stimulation, the secretion of MMP-1 was significantly reduced by 50 pg/mL of 17beta-estradiol (in immunoblot by a median of 12.3%, P=0.007; in ELISA by a median of 18.4%, P=0.001), and 500 pg/mL (in immunoblot by a median of 23.1%, P=0.001; in ELISA by a median of 21.0%, P=0.001). Additionally, under 10 pg/mL TNFalpha, 17beta-estradiol also significantly suppressed the secretion of MMP-1 (in immunoblot by a median of 39.0%, P=0.016; in ELISA by a median of 38.4%, P=0.041). Estrogen did not exert any significant effect on MMP-3, MMP-13, or TIMP-1 expression. With IL-1beta or TNFalpha above 10 pg/mL stimulation, 17beta-estradiol demonstrated no effect on MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-13, or TIMP-1 secretion. Type II collagenolytic activity in the 50 pg/mL estradiol group decreased by 9.6% (-51.5-5.5%, P>0.05). 17beta-estradiol showed a tendency to decrease in MMP-1 mRNA. Estrogen may improve the imbalance between the amounts of MMPs and TIMP in chondrocytes, and these results suggest that hormone replacement therapy may provide some chondroprotective effect.

ObjectiveWe wanted to compare the two-dimensional (2D) fast spin echo (FSE) techniques and the three-dimensional (3D) fast field echo techniques for the evaluation of the chondromalacia patella using a microscopy coil.Materials and MethodsTwenty five patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty were included in this study. Preoperative MRI evaluation of the patella was performed using a microscopy coil (47 mm). The proton density-weighted fast spin echo images (PD), the fat-suppressed PD images (FS-PD), the intermediate weighted-fat suppressed fast spin echo images (iw-FS-FSE), the 3D balanced-fast field echo images (B-FFE), the 3D water selective cartilage scan (WATS-c) and the 3D water selective fluid scan (WATS-f) were obtained on a 1.5T MRI scanner. The patellar cartilage was evaluated in nine areas: the superior, middle and the inferior portions that were subdivided into the medial, central and lateral facets in a total of 215 areas. Employing the Noyes grading system, the MRI grade 0-I, II and III lesions were compared using the gross and microscopic findings. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were evaluated for each sequence. The significance of the differences for the individual sequences was calculated using the McNemar test.ResultsThe gross and microscopic findings demonstrated 167 grade 0-I lesions, 40 grade II lesions and eight grade III lesions. Iw-FS-FSE had the highest accuracy (sensitivity/specificity/accuracy = 88%/98%/96%), followed by FS-PD (78%/98%/93%, respectively), PD (76%/98%/93%, respectively), B-FFE (71%/100%/93%, respectively), WATS-c (67%/100%/92%, respectively) and WATS-f (58%/99%/89%, respectively). There were statistically significant differences for the iw-FS-FSE and WATS-f and for the PD-FS and WATS-f (p < 0.01).ConclusionThe iw-FS-FSE images obtained with a microscopy coil show best diagnostic performance among the 2D and 3D GRE images for evaluating the chondromalacia patella.

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