Hyaluronan promotes IL-10 expression in fibroblast-like synoviocytes from patients with tibia plateau fracture

Traumatic arthritis is a frequent clinical problem in active patients, manifested as synovitis and capsulitis. Progression to osteoarthritis (OA) after a period of time is a common sequela. Hyaluronan (HA) has been reported to be effective in treating chronic disability of OA. However, its potential for preventing joint with articular fracture from OA change is still unclear. We evaluated the effect of HA on six OA-related factors production in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from ten patients with tibia plateau fracture. The interleukin(IL)1-beta induced or uninduced FLS were cultivated with or without the treatment of HA. Quantification of these factors was performed by using sandwich Enzyme-Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay. Our results show that HA can not only down-regulate the expression of catabolic factors, including IL-1, matrix metalloproteinase-3, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, but also up-regulate the production of anti-catabolic factors, such as tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2. In addition, we found that HA can promote the creation of IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, in FLS. We consider that HA possesses the potential effects of both chondro-protection and anti-inflammation on patients with tibia plateau fracture. Our results imply the promising use of HA in the prevention of post-traumatic arthritis.