Early alterations of subchondral bone in the rat anterior cruciate ligament transection model of osteoarthritis
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2021
Abstract
Objective Advances in research have shown that the subchondral bone plays an important role in the propagation of cartilage loss and progression of osteoarthritis (OA), but whether the subchondral bone changes precede or lead to articular cartilage loss remains debatable. In order to elucidate the subchondral bone and cartilage changes that occur in early OA, an experiment using anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) induced posttraumatic OA model of the rat knee was conducted. Design Forty-two Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 2 groups: the ACLT group and the nonoperated control group. Surgery was conducted on the ACLT group, and subsequently rats from both groups were sacrificed at 1, 2, and 3 weeks postsurgery. Subchondral bone was evaluated using a high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography scanner, while cartilage was histologically evaluated and scored. Results A significant reduction in the subchondral trabecular bone thickness and spacing was found as early as 1 week postsurgery in ACLT rats compared with the nonoperated control. This was subsequently followed by a reduction in bone mineral density and bone fractional volume at week 2, and finally a decrease in the trabecular number at week 3. These changes occurred together with cartilage degeneration as reflected by an increasing Mankin score over all 3 weeks. Conclusions Significant changes in subchondral bone occur very early in OA concurrent with surface articular cartilage degenerative change suggest that factors affecting bone remodeling and resorption together with cartilage matrix degradation occur very early in the disease.
Keywords
Osteoarthritis, Subchondral bone, ACLT, HR-pQCT
Divisions
fac_med
Funders
University Malaya Research Grant (UMRG) [RP005D-13HTM],Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) [FRGS/1/2018/STG05/UM/02/10] [FP068-2018A]
Publication Title
Cartilage
Volume
13
Issue
2_SUPP
Publisher
SAGE Publications Inc
Publisher Location
2455 TELLER RD, THOUSAND OAKS, CA 91320 USA