Chondrogenic Differentiation Potential of Fluocinolone Acetonide Has Been Found

May 11, 2015

A research group at the Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences has found that Fluocinolone acetonide (FA) has a strong induction ability of chondrogenic differentiation of human stem cells.

The findings were published on March 7, 2015 in the journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jbmr.2502/abstract

While broken bones regenerate naturally, damaged and lost articular cartilage never recovers completely. Severe cases of osteoarthritis require artificial joint replacement. Recently, osteochondral autografts have become popular for treatment of osteoarthritis but still have some problems.

E. Hara, Prof. Kuboki and their colleagues performed a high-throughput screening and functional analysis for drugs approved by US FDA, and found that fluocinolone acetonide (FA) could promote strong chondrogenic differentiation. In addition, they showed that transplantation of FA-treated human stem cells completely repaired the articular surface in an in vivo cartilage defect model in knee joints of immunocompromised mice.

The findings could lead to the improvement of treatment with osteochondral autografts and the expansion of treatment applications. Furthermore, use of the combination of FA and bioabsorbable materials could apply for the treatment of articular surface regeneration without cells.

Contact Information
Mototaka Senda, Ph.D.
Director of Okayama University Silicon Valley Office
Deputy Director of Intellectual Property Office
Organization for Research Promotion and Collaboration, Okayama University
2450 Peralta Blvd. #119 Fremont, California USA
TEL: 1-510-396-2031
Email: takasenda(a)okayama-u.ac.jp
For inquiries, please contact us by replacing (a) with the @ mark.

Takuo Kuboki DDS, PhD
Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan