Hydroquinone, a cigarette smoke compound, affects cartilage homeostasis through activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor pathway.

Exposure to cigarette smoke has a proven detrimental impact on different aspects of human health. Increasing evidences link smoking to degeneration of joint tissues. However, the toxic mechanisms elicited by the different components of cigarette smoke have not been fully elucidated yet. We have previously shown that exposure to hydroquinone (HQ), a pro-oxidant chemical present in cigarette smoke, can promote joint tissue degradation in murine models of rheumatoid arthritis through the activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) pathway. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic debilitating articular disease characterized by progressive degradation of the articular cartilage, whose onset and progression have also been associated with smoking. In this work we aimed to investigate the effect of HQ exposure on articular chondrocytes and how it affects cartilage homeostasis. Cell viability, gene expression, oxidative stress and inflammatory parameters were quantified in primary articular chondrocytes exposed to HQ in presence or absence of IL-1{beta} pre-stimulation. HQ stimulation downregulated phenotypic markers genes such as SOX-9 and Col2a1, whereas upregulated the expression of the catabolic enzymes MMP-3 and ADAMTS5. HQ also promoted oxidative stress and reduced proteoglycan content. HQ exacerbated the pro-inflammatory effects mediated by the IL-1{beta} co-stimulation. Finally, we showed that HQ-degenerative effects were mediated by the activation of AhR. Together, our findings address the harmful effects of HQ in the articular cartilage health, providing novel evidence surrounding the toxic mechanisms of environmental pollutants underlying the onset of articular diseases.