Effect of salicylic acid on articular cartilage in organ culture.

An organ culture system was used to study the metabolic effects of exposure of articular cartilage to increasing concentrations of salicylic acid. It was shown that concentration of salicylate above 1 mM inhibited the incorporation of 35S-sulphate into proteoglycans and at concentrations above 2.5 mM inhibited the incorporation of 3H-proline into collagen. Long-term exposure of the cartilage to salicylic acid at concentrations above 1 mM had a toxic effect on both proteoglycan and collagen synthesis.