Effect of glucose on morphofunctional properties chondrocytes in vitro

Articular cartilage is a highly specialized dense connective tissue, and can be considered as a composite gel with a relatively low content (5%) of cells, chondrocytes, embedded in the extracellular matrix. Chondrocytes are the only cell type in articular cartilage and are responsible for the biosynthesis and catabolism of the extracellular matrix. Osteoarthritis, the most common cartilage disease, has many independent risk factors, among which is diabetes mellitus, which allows us to hypothesize that different glucose concentrations have a huge effect on the morfunctional properties of chondrocytes in general and on the formation of osteoarthritis in particular. Despite numerous studies, the question of the effect of glucose on cartilage function is still open. In this regard, the study of morphofunctional changes in chondrocytes under the influence of various glucose concentrations is an urgent problem. The following results were obtained: an increase in the concentration of glucose in cell culture has a positive effect on cell viability and proteoglycan synthesis, but at an external glucose concentration of 25 мМ, cells die, while the synthesis of proteoglycans remains at a high level. The higher the concentration of glucose in the nutrient medium, the larger the cell size, which is probably due to hypertrophy of chondrocytes. In the future, the results obtained will be useful for understanding the process of hypertrophy and identifying ways to control it, as well as for a detailed study of other biochemical processes.