Collagen-Derived Dipeptide Pro-Hyp Enhanced ATDC5 Chondrocyte Differentiation under Hypoxic Conditions.
Molecules 2023;
28:4664. [PMID:
37375217 DOI:
10.3390/molecules28124664]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Chondrocytes are surrounded by a lower oxygen environment than other well-vascularized tissues with higher oxygenation levels. Prolyl-hydroxyproline (Pro-Hyp), one of the final collagen-derived peptides, has been previously reported to be involved in the early stages of chondrocyte differentiation. However, whether Pro-Hyp can alter chondrocyte differentiation under physiological hypoxic conditions is still unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether Pro-Hyp affects the differentiation of ATDC5 chondrogenic cells under hypoxic conditions. The addition of Pro-Hyp resulted in an approximately 18-fold increase in the glycosaminoglycan staining area compared to the control group under hypoxic conditions. Moreover, Pro-Hyp treatment significantly upregulated the expression of SOX9, Col2a1, Aggrecan, and MMP13 in chondrocytes cultured under hypoxic conditions. These results demonstrate that Pro-Hyp strongly promotes the early differentiation of chondrocytes under physiological hypoxic conditions. Therefore, Pro-Hyp, a bioactive peptide produced during collagen metabolism, may function as a remodeling factor or extracellular matrix remodeling signal that regulates chondrocyte differentiation in hypoxic cartilage.
Collapse