Development of Diagnosis Method for Early Stage of Osteoarthritis using Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

To establish a diagnosis method for the early stage of Osteoarthritis (OA), we developed specially designed instruments of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) using a confocal microscope. In this new method, we investigate the molecular transports in extracellular matrices (ECMs) which form inhomogeneous space with a mesh structure where anomalous diffusion occurs. In anomalous diffusion, different from normal diffusion, diffusion coefficient changes depending on the diffusion distance and the diffusion times. Therefore we developed a new method called "Sampling Volume Controlled (SVC) FCS" which enable us to record the distance dependence of diffusion coefficient (DDDC) in a direct manner. Within this research term we established the instrumentation and the theoretical treatment and anomalous diffusion comes to be recognized as an important process not only in ECM but also in intracellular spaces. We developed a method for diagnosis for an articular cartilage using its slice o … More f 20μm thickness put in a dye solution. The change in diffusion coefficients on protease treatment was observed showing that the destruction of the collagen mesh structure in the articular cartilage which mimics the symptom of OA and the principle of our new diagnosis method was confirmed. In the early term of this research we used the aqueous solution of hyaluronan as the model system of the synovial fluid. However, since the fluid contains another important component, mucin type proteoglycans, we searched an appropriate model system for basic research. As the result, we discovered a novel mucin in jellyfishes and named qniumucin. We performed the improvement of purification and the structural analysis to find that this new material is an exceptionally pure and homogenous mucin which is suitable to medical substances. We constructed a novel fulfillment for synovial fluid using qniumucin and hyaluronan and investigated using new FCS. We also found that this new fluid showed significant improvement in regeneration of damaged articular cartilage. Now we plan to extend our method for the development and improvement of this curing method. Less