Creation of articular cartilage-specific bio-molecular imaging probe with potentials of dual modalities.

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25670648
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Orthopaedic surgery
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: OOHASHI Toshitaka 岡山大学, 医歯(薬)学総合研究科, 教授 (50194262)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): NISHIDA Keiichiro 岡山大学, 大学院医歯薬学総合研究科, 准教授 (80284058) ; KAKUTA Hiroki 岡山大学, 大学院医歯薬学総合研究科, 准教授 (80362961)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: プロテオグリカン / 変形性関節症 / X線 / 動物モデル / 創薬

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In the process of cartilage degeneration seen in osteoarthritis, loss of proteoglycan from articular cartilage has been widely accepted as a critical early event. We investigated bio-molecular imaging of articular cartilage using our molecular probes targeting articular GAGs.
Chondroitin sulfate, a major component of articular cartilage, has negative charge caused by sulfates. We designed lysine oligomers (monomer - pentamer) which were connected with the a-carboxyl and e-amino group. These lysine oligomers possess e-amino groups as cationic moieties. Then, we created a novel articular cartilage imaging X-ray probe Ke4-triiodobenzene (Ke4-TIB) and demonstrated an ex vivo imaging of articular cartilage in rat osteoarthritic models. The imaging could quantitate loss of proteoglycan from osteoarthritic cartilage. Ke4-TIB may have a potential of in vivo X-ray imaging in animal arthritic models in future, which contribute to drug discovery research for osteoarthritis.

Free Research Field

マトリックス生物学