The osteogenic potential of ligament fibroblasts is greater in ankylosing spondylitis patients than in patients with osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND

The goal of the present study was to investigate the osteogenic potential of ligament fibroblasts from patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Ligament fibroblasts were isolated from tissues harvested from AS patients and patients with aseptic necrosis of the femoral head (ANFH) who had undergone total hip arthroplasty (THA). Cells were cultured in osteogenic induction medium (OIM) with or without bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) for 30 days. During this time, the levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin (OC) were determined as markers of osteogenesis.

RESULTS

Ligament fibroblasts isolated from patients with AS exhibited significantly greater potential for differentiation than those isolated from patients with osteoarthritis (ANFH).

CONCLUSION

These findings illuminate osteogenesis as a new pathway for studying the mechanism underlying ankylosis in AS patients. Factors which cause localized stromal remodeling at the enthesis significantly influence formation of new bone and further research is required to determine the mechanisms responsible for the osteogenic potential of enthesis cells and ligament fibroblasts in AS patients.