Conclusions
Our data suggest that cholesterol intake per se may not be deleterious for articular cartilage. Instead, cholesterol de novo synthesis and altered cholesterol metabolism could be involved in the associations observed in human disease.
Objective
Several studies have linked metabolic syndrome to the development of osteoarthritis (OA) through hypercholesterolemia, one of its components. However, epidemiological studies showed contradictory
Results
HFD intake did not modify cartilage structure or pro-inflammatory and catabolic gene expression and protein presence, both in healthy and OA animals. OxLDL did not affect human chondrocyte viability, ADAMTS5 and liver X receptor (LXR) α gene expression, but decreased the induction of IL-1β, IL-6, MCP-1, MMP-13, iNOS, and COX-2 gene expression and MMP-13 and COX-2 protein presence, evoked by cytokines. Conclusions: Our data suggest that cholesterol intake per se may not be deleterious for articular cartilage. Instead, cholesterol de novo synthesis and altered cholesterol metabolism could be involved in the associations observed in human disease.