A short novel peptide for the repair of cartilage in osteoarthritic joints

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial disease that affects millions of Canadians. Although, there is not one specific mechanism that causes OA, the biological outcome is cartilage degradation. The articular cartilage in joints is composed primarily of the proteoglycan aggrecan and type II collagen (Col II) which together provide cartilage with functional properties. In OA, the imbalance of the anabolic and catabolic activities of chondrocytes favors cartilage catalysis. The main inflammatory cytokine involved in cartilage degradation is interleukin (IL) 1β. It has previously been demonstrated that Link N, a 16 residue peptide derived from proteolytic cleavage of link protein, can stimulate matrix proteins in normal cartilage and intervertebral discs (IVDs). Recently, we showed that a shorter sequence of Link N (sLink N), consisting of the first 8 residues of the peptide, has the potential to increase synthesis of matrix proteins in IVD cells in vitro and stimulate repair in ex vivo IVD organ culture. Th...