Metabolomic Profiling to Understand Chondrocyte Metabolism.

Metabolism has long been recognized as a critical physiological process necessary to maintain homeostasis in all types of cells including the chondrocytes of articular cartilage. Alterations in metabolism in disease and metabolic adaptation to physiological stimuli such as mechanical loading are increasingly recognized as important for understanding musculoskeletal systems such as synovial joints. Metabolomics is an emerging technique that allows quantitative measurement of thousands of small molecule metabolites that serve as both products and reactants to myriad reactions of cellular biochemistry. This protocol describes procedures to perform metabolomic profiling on chondrocytes and other tissues and fluids within the synovial joint.