Experimental osteoarthritis of the knee in mini-pigs induced by alteration of the load bearing

2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 11671411
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Orthopaedic surgery
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: SUGITA Takehiko Tohoku University Hospital, Lecturer, 医学部・附属病院, 講師 (80179142)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): OHNUMA Masahiro Tohoku University Hospital, Research Fellow, 医学部・附属病院, 医員
• Project Period (FY): 1999 – 2000
• Keywords: osteoarthritis / knee joint / mini pig

Research Abstract

Materials and Methods: Six female mini-pigs (average age was 3 years and 4 months, ranging from 3 years to 4 years and 3 months; average body weight was 38.8 kg, ranging from 24.4 kg to 56.0 kg) were used. 2 screws were inserted into the lateral side of the femur and the tibia. The distance between the 2 screws was 7 cm. 10 kg force was applied to the lateral side of the knee joint using a spring which was fixed to the screws. 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks later, 2, 2, 1, and 1 pigs were killed, respectively. Specimens were obtained from the patellofemoral and the femorotibial joint and stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin and Erastica-Masson. Results: Little histological abnormalities were found in the patellofemoral joint, the femur, and the medial side of the tibia. Various kinds of osteoarthritic changes, such as thinning of the particular cartilage, absence of the longitudinal arrangement of chondrocytes, cluster formation of chondrocytes, thickening of the subchondral trabeculae, lateralward growth of the subchondral cancellous bone, and fibrosis of the bone marrow tissue, were historically represented. Discussion: This study showed that histological changes in the tibia preceded those in the femur and that histological changes in the particular cartilage were more frequent than those in the subchondral region.