| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3381810 | Osteoarthritis and Cartilage | 2007 | 7 Pages |
SummaryObjectiveTo apply a pendulum technique to detect changes in the coefficient of friction of the articular cartilage of the intact guinea pig tibiofemoral joint after proteolytic disruption.DesignTwenty-two hind limbs were obtained from 11 3-month old Hartley guinea pigs. Twenty knees were block-randomized to one of two treatment groups receiving injections of: (1) α-chymotrypsin (to disrupt the superficial layer of the articular surface) or (2) saline (sham; to control for the effects of the intra-articular injection). The legs were mounted in a pendulum where the knee served as the fulcrum. The decay in pendulum amplitude as a function of oscillation number was first recorded and the coefficient of friction of the joint was determined from these data before injection. Ten microliters of either isotonic saline or 1 Unit/μL α-chymotrypsin was then injected into the intra-articular joint space and incubated for 2 h. The pendulum test was repeated. Changes in the coefficient of friction between the sham and α-chymotrypsin joints were compared. One additional pair of knees was used for histological study of the effects of the injections.ResultsTreatment with α-chymotrypsin significantly increased the coefficient of friction of the guinea pig knee by 74% while sham treatment decreased it by 8%. Histological sections using Gomori trichrome stain verified that the lamina splendens was damaged following treatment with α-chymotrypsin and not following saline treatment.ConclusionsTreatment with α-chymotrypsin induces mild cartilage surface damage and increases the coefficient of friction in the Hartley guinea pig knee.
