Histological Characterization of Epiphyseal Bone and Articular Cartilage in a Rat Model of Post-traumatic Knee Osteoarthritis

Objective The study aim was to evaluate the histological relationship between osteoarthritis (OA) and articular cartilage in disuse atrophy induced by hindlimb unloading in a post-traumatic OA rat model. Design Forty male rats were divided into the 4 following experimental groups: control, hindlimb suspension (HS), OA induced by destabilization of the medial meniscus (OA), and OA induction after hindlimb suspension (HS-OA). Histological changes in the articular cartilage of the tibia were evaluated by the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) scores and histomorphometrical analyses at 2, 4, and 8 weeks after OA induction. Results We confirmed that disuse atrophy of the articular cartilage was caused by thinning of the articular cartilage and the decrease in matrix staining for the nonloading period of 4 weeks. The OARSI scores and histomorphological analyses revealed that OA progressed significantly wider and deeper in the HS-OA group than in the OA group over time. In the sham group, disuse atrophy of the articular cartilage recovered at 2 weeks after reloading. Conclusions This study revealed that OA progressed faster in cartilage atrophy than in normal articular cartilage. Further studies are required for investigating the mechanisms of disuse atrophy of cartilage and its association with OA using the biochemical and immunohistochemical analysis.

Download Full-text

Reduction of knee joint load suppresses cartilage degeneration, osteophyte formation, and synovitis in early-stage osteoarthritis using a post-traumatic rat model

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0254383 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (7) ◽

pp. e0254383

Author(s):

Ikufumi Takahashi ◽

Keisuke Takeda ◽

Taro Matsuzaki ◽

Hiroshi Kuroki ◽

Masahiro Hoso

Keyword(s):

Articular Cartilage ◽

Knee Joint ◽

Rat Model ◽

Early Stage ◽

Cartilage Degeneration ◽

Male Rats ◽

Hindlimb Suspension ◽

Osteophyte Formation ◽

Post Traumatic ◽

Joint Load

The purpose of this study was to clarify the histological effect of reducing the loading to knee on cartilage degeneration, osteophyte formation, and synovitis in early-stage osteoarthritis (OA) using a post-traumatic rat model. Ten male rats were randomly allocated into two experimental groups: OA induction by surgical destabilization of medial meniscus (DMM, OA group) and hindlimb suspension after OA induction by DMM (OAHS group). The articular cartilage, osteophyte formation, and synovial membrane in the medial tibiofemoral joint were analyzed histologically and histomorphometrically at 2 and 4 weeks after surgery. The histological scores and changes in articular cartilage and osteophyte formation were significantly milder and slower in the OAHS group than in the OA group. At 2 and 4 weeks, there were no significant differences in cartilage thickness and matrix staining intensity between both the groups, but chondrocytes density was significantly lower in the OA group. Synovitis was milder in OAHS group than in OA group at 2 weeks. Reducing knee joint loading inhibited histological OA changes in articular cartilage, osteophyte formation, and synovial inflammation. This result supports the latest clinical guidelines for OA treatment. Further studies using biochemical and mechanical analyses are necessary to elucidate the mechanism underlying delayed OA progression caused by joint-load reduction.

Download Full-text

Corrigendum to “Weight-bearing asymmetry and vertical activity differences in a rat model of post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis” [Osteoarthritis Cartilage 23 (7) (2015) 1178–85]

Osteoarthritis and Cartilage ◽

10.1016/j.joca.2015.09.011 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 382

Author(s):

C.B. Hamilton ◽

M.A. Pest ◽

V. Pitelka ◽

A. Ratneswaran ◽

F. Beier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Knee Osteoarthritis ◽

Rat Model ◽

Weight Bearing ◽

Osteoarthritis Cartilage ◽

Vertical Activity ◽

Post Traumatic

Download Full-text

Oral Administration of Salmon Cartilage Proteoglycan Attenuates Osteoarthritis in a Monosodium Iodoacetate-Induced Rat Model

Natural Product Communications ◽

10.1177/1934578x20982110 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (12) ◽

pp. 1934578X2098211

Author(s):

Tuyen Danh Le ◽

Hien Thi Thu Vu ◽

Iddamalgoda Arunasiri ◽

Kenichi Ito ◽

Tadahiro Makise ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Articular Cartilage ◽

Knee Osteoarthritis ◽

Rat Model ◽

Interleukin 1Β ◽

Cartilage Tissue ◽

Necrosis Factor Alpha ◽

Nasal Cartilage ◽

Tnf Α ◽

Monosodium Iodoacetate

Proteoglycan (PG) is a type of glycoprotein which forms an extracellular matrix with collagen and hyaluronic acid to maintain articular cartilage, synovial membrane, and synovial fluid. This study aimed to evaluate the antiosteoarthritis effects of salmon nasal cartilage-derived PG in alleviating knee osteoarthritis in an osteoarthritis rat model. Knee osteoarthritis was induced in rats by intra-articular injection of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA), 3 mg/knee, to the right knee. Animals were then administered either diclofenac (3 mg/kg body weight [b.w]/day) or proteoglycan F (PGF; 40 mg/kg and 120 mg/kg b.w/day) by oral gavage for 6 consecutive weeks. Knee diameters were measured throughout the experimental period; serum interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels, and histological analysis of the ligament were carried out at the end of the experiment. Salmon cartilage PG considerably alleviated the osteoarthritis symptoms in the model and lowered the serum concentrations of interleukin-1β and TNF-α. Diclofenac 3 mg/kg/day and PGF at doses of 40 mg/kg/day and 120 mg/kg/day also improved articular cartilage structure on further histological studies. This study demonstrated the in vivo effect of salmon cartilage PG in attenuating symptoms in an MIA-induced rat model, including reduction of inflammatory markers and histological improvement of cartilage tissue.

Download Full-text