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Cytokines, Chemokines, Alpha-2-Macroglobulin, Growth Factors

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Orthobiologics

Abstract

The use of biologics has become an increasingly popular topic, and the use of biologics to augment bone and soft tissue healing is of particular interest to the orthopaedic community. Small molecules, including cytokines, chemokines, alpha-2-macroglobulin, and growth factors, have been identified as promising targets in the study of biologics. Cytokines are small proteins which play an important role in cell signaling, particularly in modulating inflammatory responses. Certain cytokines including interleukins and tumor necrosis factor alpha have shown promise in preclinical studies, but to date, none are available for clinical use. Similarly, chemokines represent a group of small molecule proteins which also participate in cell signaling, specifically regulating leukocytes and lymphoid tissue. In preclinical studies, certain chemokines have demonstrated promise in modulating chondrocyte metabolism, and therefore there may be a role for chemokines in the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Alpha-2-macroglobulin, a large plasma protein which serves as a broad-spectrum MMP inhibitor, has been identified as a bioinhibitor of catabolic enzymes and may have potential in the treatment of both arthritic conditions and degenerative tendinopathies. Finally, growth factors are a broad class of signaling molecules which target cell surface receptors to promote proliferative effects. Growth factors have been studied extensively with regard to bone healing previously, but recent preclinical studies have identified several growth factors which may promote soft tissue regeneration as well. In this chapter, we will review the definitions of these small molecules, the formulations that are currently clinically available, the substances that have shown promise in preclinical studies, and future directions for research in these areas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA

    Claire D. Eliasberg & Scott A. Rodeo

Authors
  1. Claire D. Eliasberg
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  2. Scott A. Rodeo
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Correspondence to Scott A. Rodeo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, Bologna, Italy

    Giuseppe Filardo

  2. Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Group, Santa Monica Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine, Santa Monica, CA, USA

    Bert R. Mandelbaum

  3. Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    George F. Muschler

  4. Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA

    Scott A. Rodeo

  5. Institute for Medical Science in Sports, Osaka Health Science University, Osaka, Japan

    Norimasa Nakamura

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Eliasberg, C.D., Rodeo, S.A. (2022). Cytokines, Chemokines, Alpha-2-Macroglobulin, Growth Factors. In: Filardo, G., Mandelbaum, B.R., Muschler, G.F., Rodeo, S.A., Nakamura, N. (eds) Orthobiologics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84744-9_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84744-9_9

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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