Overexpression of MMP13 in human osteoarthritic cartilage is associated with the SMAD-independent TGF-β signalling pathway

In vitro and animal model of osteoarthritis (OA) studies suggest that TGF-β signalling is involved in OA, but human data is limited. We undertook this study to elucidate the role of TGF-β signalling pathway in OA by comparing the expression levels of TGFB1 and BMP2 as ligands, SMAD3 as an intracellular mediator, and MMP13 as a targeted gene between human osteoarthritic and healthy cartilage. Human cartilage samples were collected from patients undergoing total hip/knee joint replacement surgery due to primary OA or hip fractures as controls. RNA was extracted from the cartilage tissues. Real-t... Mehr ...