ArticleConnective tissue research2026
Latent TGF-β content of articular cartilage with development and age.
Article in Connective tissue research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
purposeAn important regulatory feature of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in cartilage stems from its extracellular matrix (ECM) sequestration as an inactive latent complex (LTGF-β), a configuration that enables need-based activation in response to physiologic stimuli. Recent work has elucidated the dysregulation of TGF-β signaling with development, age, and pathology. However, characterizations of LTGF-β content levels in cartilage are limited. Here, we characterize the variation of LTGF-β in articular cartilage with tissue development and age.
methodsLTGF-β evolution with development is characterized via measures of bovine cartilage explants from fetal, skeletally immature (2-4 months), and skeletally mature (60 months) animals. LTGF-β evolution with cartilage aging is characterized via measures of human cartilage explants procured via cadavers (n=19 donors) ranging in age from 13 to 80 years.
resultsFor bovine cartilage, while LTGF-β per unit tissue volume decreases with development (50.5 ± 22.0 to 16.4 ± 7.4 ng/mL for LTGF-β1; p<0.01; 29.8 ± 10.7 to 12.6 ± 4.1 ng/mL for LTGF- β2; p<0.01), LTGF-β1 and LTGF-β2 contents per cell number in the tissue does not change with development (p>0.41), indicating that the amount of LTGF-β available for each chondrocyte remains conserved. LTGF-β1 content in human tissues exhibits a dynamic range of an order of magnitude (6.4 ± 3.6 to 70.6 ± 21.8 ng/mL), but donor age is not predictive of LTGF-β1 content in cartilage (p=0.87).
conclusionsThese results suggest that development and aging are not limiting factors for LTGF-β availability in cartilage.
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