Effects of moniliformin and selenium on human articular cartilage metabolism and their potential relationships to the pathogenesis of Kashin-Beck disease

Objective:To investigate the effects of mycotoxin moniliformin (MON) on the metabolism of aggrecan and type II collagen in human chondrocytes in vitro and the relationship between MON and Kashin-Beck disease (KBD).Methods:Human chondrocytes were isolated and cultured on bone matrix gelatin to form an artificial cartilage model in vitro with or without MON toxin.Cell viability was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.The expression of aggrecan and type II collagen in the cartilage was determined using immunocytochemical staining.Results:MON toxin inhibited chondrocyte viability in dose-dependent and time-dependent manners.MON reduced aggrecan and type II collagen syntheses in the tissue-engineered cartilage.MON also increased the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1),MMP-13,BC4 epitopes,and CD44 in cartilages.However,the expression of 3B3(-) epitopes in cartilages was inhibited by MON.Selenium partially alleviated the damage of aggrecan induced by MON toxin.Conclusion:MON toxin promoted the catabolism of aggrecan and type II collagen in human chondrocytes.