Abstract
The effect of piroxicam, a relatively new nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug on proteoglycan metabolism has been studied in normal rabbit chondrocytes and diseased part of human articular cartilage in culture. Therapeutic plasma levels of piroxicam (1×10-5M) had no effects on 35SO4 incorporation into glycosaminoglycan and 3H-thymidine uptake in the rabbit cultured chondrocyte during 24 hours incubation. On the other hand, piroxicam at concentrations in a range of 1×10-6 M to 1×10-4 M, produced dose dependent decreases of proteoglycan release and caseinase activity increased by interleukin-1 in the culture medium from both the rabbit articular chondrocytes and human diseased cartilage.
These results suggest that piroxicam of pharmacological dose may have an ability to protect cartilages by inhibiting the enzymatic breakdown of matrix proteoglycan without effects on proteoglycan synthesis or proliferation of chondrocytes.
