Abstract
The effects of β‐aminopropionitrile, a known inhibitor of lysyl oxidase, on the extractability of newly synthesized collagen and integrative cartilage repair were determined in explant cultures of adult bovine articular cartilage. Dose‐escalation studies indicated that treatment of cartilage explants for 6 days with β‐aminopropionitrile caused a dose‐dependent inhibition of proteoglycan synthesis ([^35^S]sulfate incorporation) with a 50% inhibition at 2.2 m__M__. However, 0.25 m__M__ β‐aminopropionitrile had no detectable effect on proteoglycan synthesis and was thus used for subsequent experiments. Treatment of cartilage with β‐aminopropionitrile for 14 days increased the extractability of newly synthesized collagen with 4 M guanidine‐HCI while having little effect on proteoglycan synthesis, proteoglycan deposition, or cartilage cellularity (DNA content). In untreated cultures, the percentage of radiolabeled collagen ([^3^H]hydroxyproline) that was extractable after 1 day of radiolabeling, 6 days of radiolabeling, or 6 days of label and 6 days of chase decreased from 81 to 25 and 9%, respectively. In β‐aminopropionitrile‐treated cultures, the extractability was relatively higher (96, 62, and 47%, respectively). Treatment with β‐aminopropionitrile after radiolabeling with [^14^C]lysine also significantly inhibited the formation of the reducible crosslink [^14^C]dihydroxylysinonorleucine without affecting the overall deposition in cartilage of [^14^C]lysine and [^14^C]hydroxylysine. In functional repair studies, treatment with β‐aminopropionitrile caused an almost complete inhibition of integration between pairs of cartilage explants maintained in apposition for 2 weeks. These results indicate that β‐aminopropionitrile blocks the formation of collagen crosslinks in cartilage explants and suggest that such crosslinks are critical to integrative cartilage repair.