Figure 5  .

Esculetin (EST) inhibits collagen loss and collagenolytic activity up to 72 hours after cytokine stimulation of bovine nasal cartilage. Bovine nasal cartilage discs were cultured for 14 days with interleukin 1α (IL1α; 1 ng/ml) and oncostatin M (OSM; 10 ng/ml). EST (100 µmol/l) was added simultaneously with the cytokines or up to 120 hours thereafter. Media were harvested and replenished at day 7; media and cartilage were harvested at day 14. (A) Cumulative collagen loss over 14 days of culture. Collagenolytic activity was measured in day 7 media in the presence (B) or absence (C) of the metalloproteinase activator, p-aminophenylmercuric acetate (0.7 mmol/l). Statistical analyses of collagen loss and collagenolytic activity levels compared IL1α + OSM + EST (0 hours) with IL1α + OSM + EST added at time points thereafter (n=4). ***p<0.001, *p<0.05.