Morphofunctional Characteristics of Chondrocyte Proliferation in Experimental Osteoarthritis in Rats

Abstract

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common degenerative joint diseases. The study of the causes of its occurrence and development is relevant to this day. The lack of data on the causes of its occurrence and development complicates the treatment process. It is known that with the development of this disease, the proliferation of chondrocytes in the articular cartilage progresses at different stages, but the mechanism of this process is poorly understood. An increase in proliferation leads to a sharp increase in the process of autophagy, which in turn affects a decrease in the lubricating function of both cartilage and synovial fluid, which leads to an irreversible stage of joint degeneration. The problem of reducing the viscoelastic properties of cartilage can be solved by introducing natural chondroprotectors, one of which is surfactant proteins. To study the proliferative properties, a research work was carried out, during which osteoarthritis was experimentally simulated in Wistar rats by introducing a solution of medical talc. This led to a decrease in the lubricating function of the synovial fluid and an increase in the number of chondrocytes. However, when using a lubricant based on a substance containing surfactant proteins, the lubricating function of the synovial fluid improved, which contributed to the restoration of cartilage in osteoarthritis.