STRUCTURAL CARTILAGE CHANGES AND PAIN IN A COLLAGENASE-INDUCED OSTEOARTHRITIS RAT MODEL

Abstract

Purpose: Cartilage degeneration is a hallmark feature of osteoarthritis (OA). However, symptoms and especially pain are equally important compared to structural changes when developing new therapies for OA. Several commonly used animal models, such as ACL-dissection, meniscectomy, or meniscal destabilizing, typically induce a fast-progressing OA, and their translation can be problematic when developing new therapies for human OA. The collagenase-induced osteoarthritis (CIOA) rat model represents cartilage degeneration that mimics wear and tear typically seen in slow-progressing human OA.