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Molecular mechanisms of environmental pollutant-induced cartilage damage: from developmental disorders to osteoarthritis

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Abstract

The objective of the present study was to review the molecular mechanisms of the adverse effects of environmental pollutants on chondrocytes and extracellular matrix (ECM). Existing data demonstrate that both heavy metals, including cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As), as well as organic pollutants, including polychlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), bisphenol A, phthalates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), pesticides, and certain other organic pollutants that target cartilage ontogeny and functioning. Overall, environmental pollutants reduce chondrocyte viability through the induction apoptosis, senescence, and inflammatory response, resulting in cell death and impaired ECM production. The effects of organic pollutants on chondrocyte development and viability were shown to be mediated by binding to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signaling and modulation of non-coding RNA expression. Adverse effects of pollutant exposures were observed in articular and growth plate chondrocytes. These mechanisms also damage chondrocyte precursors and subsequently hinder cartilage development. In addition, pollutant exposure was shown to impair chondrogenesis by inhibiting the expression of Sox9 and other regulators. Along with altered Runx2 signaling, these effects also contribute to impaired chondrocyte hypertrophy and chondrocyte-to-osteoblast trans-differentiation, resulting in altered endochondral ossification. Several organic pollutants including PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PAHs, were shown to induce transgenerational adverse effects on cartilage development and the resulting skeletal deformities. Despite of epidemiological evidence linking human environmental pollutant exposure to osteoarthritis or other cartilage pathologies, the data on the molecular mechanisms of adverse effects of environmental pollutant exposure on cartilage tissue were obtained from studies in laboratory rodents, fish, or cell cultures and should be carefully extrapolated to humans, although they clearly demonstrate that cartilage should be considered a putative target for environmental pollutant toxicity.

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Abbreviations

6-OH-BDE-47:

6: Hydroxy-2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether

ACAN:

Type 2 collagen (COL2A1) and aggrecan

Adamts5A:

Disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 5

AhR:

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor

BaP:

Benzo[a]pyrene

BMP-2:

Bone morphogenetic protein 2

BPA:

Bisphenol A

BPAF:

Bisphenol AF

BPS:

Bisphenol S

CCL2:

C–C motif ligand 2

circRNAs:

Circular RNAs

COX-2:

Cyclooxygenase-2

CTSK:

Cathepsin K

cxcr4:

CXC chemokine 4

CYP450:

Cytochrome P450

DBP:

Dibutylphthalate

Dio:

Deiodinases

DKK1:

Dickkopf-1

DNMT1:

DNA methyltransferase 1

ECM:

Extracellular matrix

ER:

Estrogen receptor

ERK:

Extracellular signal-regulated kinases

FoxO:

Forkhead box protein O

GALE:

UDP-galactose-4 epimerase

GH:

Growth hormone

Gpx:

Glutathione peroxidase

GSK-3β:

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta

HIF-1α:

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha

Hsp27:

Heat shock protein 27

IGF-1:

Insulin-like growth factor 1

Ihh:

Indian hedgehog

IL-1β:

Interleukin-1β

il-7r:

Interleukin-7 receptor

iNOS:

Inducible nitric oxide synthase

JNK:

C-Jun N-terminal kinase

lncRNAs:

Long non-coding RNAs

LPS:

Lipopolysaccharide

miRNA:

MicroRNAs

MMP:

Metalloproteinase

MSCs:

Mesenchymal stem cells

mTOR:

Mammalian target of rapamycin

NAC:

N-acetylcysteine

NF-κB:

Nuclear factor kappa-B

NHANES:

National health and nutrition examination survey

NLRP3:

NLR family pyrin domain containing 3

NOAEL:

No observed adverse effect level

OPN:

Osteopontin

PAH:

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

PAI-1:

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1

PBDE:

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers

PCB:

Polychlorinated biphenyls

PCNA:

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen

PKC-δ:

Protein kinase C delta type

PTHrP:

Parathyroid hormone-related peptide

PUMA:

P53-upregulated modulator of apoptosis

RARα:

Retinoic acid receptor α

rgs1:

Regulator of G-protein signaling 1

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

sdf-1:

Stromal cell-derived factor 1

Shh:

Sonic hedgehog

Sox9:

SRY-box transcription factor 9

TBT:

Tributyltin

TCDD:

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin

TD:

Tibial dyschondroplasia

TGF-β:

Transforming growth factor beta

TIMP3:

Metalloproteinase inhibitor 3

TNFα:

Tumor necrosis factor α

Txnrd:

Thioredoxin reductase

VEGF:

Vascular endothelial growth factor

VEGFR:

VEGF receptor

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Acknowledgements

The study was performed with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation (project No. 24-45-00073) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82361138566).

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Correspondence to Alexey A. Tinkov.

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Skalny, A.V., Aschner, M., Zhang, F. et al. Molecular mechanisms of environmental pollutant-induced cartilage damage: from developmental disorders to osteoarthritis. Arch Toxicol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-024-03772-9

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