Establishment of the Evidence of Thermal Therapy before Exercise Protecting Articular Degeneration

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25462314
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Orthopaedic surgery
• Research Institution: Doshisha University
• Principal Investigator: HOJO TATSUYA 同志社大学, スポーツ健康科学部, 教授 (40298740)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): IZAWA Tetsuya 同志社大学, スポーツ健康科学部, 教授 (70147495)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 関節軟骨 / 軟骨細胞 / 温熱刺激 / Heat Shock Protein 70 / 基質代謝 / アポトーシス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Cultured human articular chondrocytes were subjected to the 1st HS in a thermal bath (37, 39, 41, 43 °C for 20 min) after 48 h of differentiation. Then, 24 h after the 1st HS, half of them were exposed to fatal stress (2nd HS at 45 °C) for 15 min. Cell viability was measured 8 h after 2nd HS. Twenty-four hours after each HS, Hsp70, proteoglycan, and type II collagen mRNA expressions were quantified by rt-PCR.
After the 1st HS, Hsp70 expression gradually increased with increase in temperature of the HS. Proteoglycan and type II collagen gradually increased until HS at 41 °C. HSP70 expression level significantly increased 24 h after the 1st HS at 41 °C compared with that in untreated chondrocytes. Moreover, chondrocytes pretreated at 41 °C showed increased cartilage matrix gene expression and the most tolerance to the 2nd HS. Appropriate HS caused increase in HSP70 expression, leading to enhancement of chondrocytes’ tolerance to heat stress.

Free Research Field

スポーツ医学