Articular cartilage explants were prepared from porcine metacarpophalangeal joints.
They were cultured in the precence or abcence IL-1b, (10 ng/ml) and Zingerone at the
concentration range of 0-40 mM. The anti-arthritic drug, diacerein, was performed as a
positive control. After 5 or 30 days of incubation, the culture medium was harvested for
analysis of cartilage degradation markers as sulfated glycosaminoglycans (s-GAGs) and
hyaluronic acid (HA) by Dye binding assay and ELISA technique. Activity of matrix
metalloproteinase enzyme-2 (MMP-2) which involved in cartilage degradation of
degenerative joint diseases was analysed by gelatin zymography. The remaining of collagen
and uronic acid in the cartilage explants were analyzed by colorimetric assays.