# INFECTIOUS ARTHRITIS AND CARTILAGE DESTRUCTION

> **NIH NIH R01** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 1988 · $175,010

## Abstract

The long-term objectives of this proposal are to establish
biochemical mechanisms underlying continued cartilage destruction
in staphylococcal bacterial arthritis and to develop therapeutic
regimens to prevent post-infectious inflammatory cartilage
destruction.  The rationale for the experiments is based on our
results showing that staphylococcal joint infection results in
rapid, direct effects on cartilage degradation and loss of
proteoglycan and that cartilage destruction continues in spite of
antibiotic treatment.

The hypotheses to be tested are:  (a) that antibiotic treatment
coupled with treatment of the host-inflammatory reaction will
decrease staph-induced cartilage degradation and (b) that
inhibiting the post-infectious inflammatory reaction will prevent
continued cartilage destruction and stimulate cartilage recovery.

The Specific Aims are:  (1a) Characterize long-term staph-induced
cartilage degradation following antibiotic treatment at 24 and 48
hours post-infection at three, six and twelve months and (lb)
determine short term (3 weeks post-infection) effects of adding
supplemental anti-inflammatory treatment coincident with onset of
antibiotic therapy; (2) Assess the recuperative capacity of
articular cartilage in vitro following onset of cartilage
degradation and in vivo following antibiotic and antiinflammatory
therapy; (3) Isolate the staphylococcal proteoglycan releasing
factor and characterize the molecular basis of staph factor induced
cartilage degradation in vitro; (4) Prepare antibodies to the staph
factor and apply the antibodies to the onset of staph induced
cartilage destruction and test the antibody reactivities against
interleukin 1.

Experiments will be carried out in our established in vitro and in
vivo models of staph infectious arthritis; effects of antibiotic
and anti-inflammatory therapies will be assessed by quantitation
of cartilage proteoglycan synthesis and degradation.  Anti-
inflammatory treatment will consist of administration of
corticosteroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory reagents and
interleukin 2.  Additional anti-inflammatory regimens will include
aspiration with metal dependent enzyme inhibitors and non-ionic
detergents.  Purification of the staph factor will include FPLC
ion-exchange chromatography.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3155457
- **Project number:** 2R01AR026833-07A3
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** HJD6G4D6TJY5
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID J SCHURMAN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1988
- **Award amount:** $175,010
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1988-07-01 → 1991-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3155457

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3155457, INFECTIOUS ARTHRITIS AND CARTILAGE DESTRUCTION (2R01AR026833-07A3). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-24 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3155457. Licensed CC0.

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