Apoptosis : a possible pathogenic factor in osteoarthritis

Abstract EN

The aim of this work was to study the morphological ultrastructural changes of chondrocytes in different grades of osteoarthritic articular cartilage and compare them to normal cartilage.

We used the Transmission Electron Microscope, in order to stress apoptosis of osteoarthritic chondrocytes as a possible pathogenic factor.

The results showed that chondrocyte cell death in O.A typically followed the stereotypical morphological pattern of apoptotic cell death rather than a necrotic cell death.

Hence apoptosis is an immunologically mediated process, the findings supports the view that O.A is possibly precipitated by immunologically mediated changes.