Objective: Bisphosphonates have been reported to possess anti-inflammatory and cartilage protective effects in animal arthritis models but not much is known about their direct effect on chondrocytes. In this study we evaluate the effect of bisphosphonates on nitric oxide (NO) production by activated chondrocytes.
Methods: Isolated bovine chondrocytes and bovine cartilage explants were used. In the second part of the study human cartilage explants (osteoarthritis (OA) and non-OA cartilage) were used. The isolated chondrocytes and cartilage explants were pre-incubated with clodronate, pamidronate or risedronate and stimulated with IL-1 and TNF-alpha (10 ng/mL, 48 h). NO production was quantified using the Griess assay.
Results: In bovine cultures, clodronate (10(-4)mol/L) and pamidronate (10(-6)mol/L) showed a small inhibition of NO production (up to 15 % and 25% respectively), whereas risedronate had no effect. In the human cartilage cultures no effect of BPs on the NO production was detected except for the highest concentration of clodronate tested (10(-4)mol/L) which demonstrated a small enhancement (19%) in NO production reaching significance in the non-OA group.
Conclusion: BPs have a modest effect on NO production by inflammatory activated chondrocytes only in the higher concentrations, indicating that the clinical relevance of these effects is probably negligible.