Regulation of Extracellular Matrix Synthesis by Shell Extracts from the Marine Bivalve Pecten maximus in Human Articular Chondrocytes— Application for Cartilage Engineering

Abstract

The shells of the bivalve mollusks are organo-mineral structures predominantly composed of calcium carbonate, but also of a minor organic matrix, a mixture of proteins, glycoproteins, and polysaccharides. These proteins are involved in mineral deposition and, more generally, in the spatial organization of the shell crystallites in well-defined microstructures. In this work, we extracted different organic shell extracts (acid-soluble matrix, acid-insoluble matrix, water-soluble matrix, guanidine HCl/EDTA-extracted matrix, referred as ASM, AIM, WSM, and EDTAM, respectively) from the shell of the scallop Pecten maximus and studied their biological activities on human articular chondrocytes (HACs). We found that these extracts differentially modulate the biological activities of HACs, depending on the type of extraction and the concentration used. Furthermore, we showed that, unlike ASM and AIM, WSM promotes maintenance of the chondrocyte phenotype in monolayer culture. WSM increased the expression of chondrocyte-specific markers (aggrecan and type II collagen), without enhancing that of the main chondrocyte dedifferentiation marker (type I collagen). We also demonstrated that WSM could favor redifferentiation of chondrocyte in collagen sponge scaffold in hypoxia. Thus, this study suggests that the organic matrix of Pecten maximus, particularly WSM, may contain interesting molecules with chondrogenic effects. Our research emphasizes the potential use of WSM of Pecten maximus for cell therapy of cartilage.

Marine Collagen Hydrolysates Downregulate the Synthesis of Pro-Catabolic and Pro-Inflammatory Markers of Osteoarthritis and Favor Collagen Production and Metabolic Activity in Equine Articular Chondrocyte Organoids

“…Various supplements are also described as simply playing an antioxidant role, such as glycosaminoglycans, frankincense, plant flavonoids and bioflavonoids [ 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 ]. On the contrary, we had previously shown that shell extracts of marine origin promote the catabolic pathway of human dermal fibroblasts, or the activity of MMP-1 in chondrocytes [ 71 , 72 ]. Nevertheless, the composition of the Promerim ® is very different from shell extracts—it does not contain high concentrations of marine minerals.…”

Marine Collagen Hydrolysates Promote Collagen Synthesis, Viability and Proliferation While Downregulating the Synthesis of Pro-Catabolic Markers in Human Articular Chondrocytes

“…However, the quality of the in vitro synthesized cartilage organoid is not strictly identical to healthy hyaline cartilage in vivo. We have previously shown that treatment with Pecten maximus extracts on monolayer cultures of chondrocytes or cartilaginous organoids promotes chondrocyte redifferentiation and phenotype maintenance [ 61 ]. In this context, Promerim ® is a good treatment for promoting hyaline-like ECM production and improving differentiation, as recently demonstrated for equine articular chondrocytes (eACs) [ 62 ].…”

“…Many nutraceuticals have an antioxidant effect or promote the synthesis of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and LT4 pro-inflammatory factors [ 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 ]. We have demonstrated that shell extracts of marine origin increase MMP-1 activity in HACs as well as the catabolism of human dermal fibroblasts [ 61 , 68 ]. However, such effects may be different for Promerim ® hydrolysates due to their qualitative nature, because shell extracts contain high concentrations of marine minerals.…”

Optimization of skeletal protein preparation for LC–MS/MS sequencing yields additional coral skeletal proteins in Stylophora pistillata

“…SOM proteins (SOMPs) embedded within the mineral are hypothesized to serve as a framework for crystal nucleation [reviewed by [ 16 ]. The proteins involved in the process of skeletal biomineralization have been described and studied extensively in echinoderms [e.x., 17 , 18 ] [and reviewed by [ 19 , 20 ], mollusks [e.x., 21 – 24 ] and mammals [e.x., 25 – 27 ], among others [ 28 ]. At present, the best described SOMP complex is of mammalian bone and teeth [ 15 ].…”