This thesis is an investigation of the response of cartilage explants to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation, cultured with and without adipose tissue (AT) in an in vitro model of adipocentric arthritis. Cartilage and AT explants were collected from eight pigs and cultured for 120h. Explants were stimulated with LPS (0μg/mL or 10μg/mL) after 48h of culture to induce inflammation and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, two major events that are characteristic of an osteoarthritic environment. Tissue culture media (TCM) was collected 0h, 24h, and 48h after addition of LPS and analyzed for prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), nitric oxide (NO), glycosaminoglycan (GAG), and cell viability (differential live-dead staining). AT modified the inflammatory and catabolic response of cartilage explants to LPS, which was demonstrated by the inhibition of LPS-induced NO production and GAG release in cartilage explants co-cultured with AT. It is possible that AT attenuated inflammatory and catabolic processes due to the reduced cell viability seen in cartilage explants co-cultured with AT and stimulated with LPS.