SYNOVIAL FLUID INTERLEUKIN-1α CANNOT FULLY EXPLAIN PROTEOGLYCAN DEGRADATION IN RATS

Abstract

Purpose: Osteoarthritis (OA) can result from joint injuries and biochemical perturbations. Proteoglycans (PGs) in cartilage are responsible for compressive stiffness and swelling and are severely affected by OA. The anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) animal model is widely used for investigating the post-traumatic OA phenotype and high fat/sucrose diets (HFSD) are often used to induce obesity and the resultant metabolic OA and biochemical imbalance associated with metabolic syndrome. In rabbits, mechanical joint abnormalities caused by ACLT lead to PG degradation as early as 2 weeks post-surgery.