Skip to main content
Download PDF
  • Published:

Unstable Stifles without Clinical or Radiographic Osteoarthritis in Young Goats: An Experimental Study

Ustabile kneledd uten utvikling av arthrose på unge geiter. Et eksperimentelt studium

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 37, pages 265–272 (1996)Cite this article

Abstract

Thirteen young, castrated male goats had instability of one stifle (knee joint) created by surgical transection of the cranial cruciate ligament, but did not develop any signs of osteoarthritis (OA) in treated joints when confined in limited space for 8 months. At the end of the experiment, the instability in the stifles had not improved, the joints were normal at radiographic examination, there were no signs of inflammation in the synovial membrane or joint capsule, and fibrosis in these tissues was not evident. The articular cartilage was normal both visually and histologically. This may indicate that the young age of the goats and the restricted physical activity on soft floor had prevented the expected development of OA in the experimantally operated joints.

Synovial fluid volumes and proteoglycan concentration were measured in the treated and control joints in 6 of the goats. There seemed to be increased quantity of the proteoglycan aggrecan in the synovial fluid from the treated joints compared to the contralateral joints throughout the course of this study. It was concluded that the turnover of aggrecan in the articular cartilage of the treated joints may have been increased.

Sammendrag

Det kraniale crusiata-ligamentet i venstre kneledd ble knuttet ved kirurgisk inngrep på 13 unge, kastrerte geitebukker, men geitebukkene utviklet ikke artrose i de opererte kneleddene i løpet av en postoperativ periode på 8 måneder. Geitebukkene ble oppstallet med begrenset bevegelsesfrihet og mykt underlag. Ved slutten av forsøket var ikke stabiliteten i de opererte kneleddene forbedret, men bortsett fra dette ble det ikke registrert unormale funn klinisk eller røntgenologisk. Histologisk var det ingen tydelige tegn til inflamasjon eller unormal bindevevsinnvekst i leddhinner eller leddkapsel. Brusken var normal makroskopisk og histologisk. Man antok at den rolige tilværelsen på grunn av god foring, kastrasjon og begrenset bevegelsesfrihet, det bløte underlaget og geitebukkenes unge alder hadde bidratt til å forsinke eller forhindre utvikling av artrose i de opererte kneleddene.

Leddvæske-volum og proteoglykan-konsentrasjon ble målt i de opererte ledd og de kollaterale kontroll-ledd på 6 af geitene. Det ble funnet en økning av mengden proteoglykan i de opererte ledd sammenlignet med kontrollene. Forskjellene var små, men syntes å være tilstede gjennom hele studiet. Det ble konkludert med at omsetningen av proteoglykaner i bruskmatrix på de opererte ledd kunne være forøket.

References

  • Brandt KD: Animal models, Insights into osteoarthritis (OA) provided by the cruciate-deficient dog. Brit. J. Rheum. 1991, 30 (suppl 1), 5–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brandt KD, Myers SL, Burr D, Albrecht M: Osteoar-thritic changes in canine articular cartilage, subchondral bone, and synovium fifty-four months after transection of the anterior cruciate ligament. Arthr. and Rheum. 1991,34, 1560–1570.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carney SL, Billingham MEJ, Muir H, Sandy JD: Demonstration of increased proteoglycan turnover in cartilage explants from dogs with experimental osteoarthritis. J. Orthop. Res. 1984,2, 202–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dahlberg L, Ryd L, Heinegãrd D, Lohmander LS: Proteoglycan fragments in joint fluid. Influence of arthrosis and inflammation. Acta Orthop. scand. 1992,63, 417–423.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Getzy LE, Malemud CJ, Goldberg VM, Moskowitz RW: Factors influencing metachromatic staining in paraffin-embedded sections of rabbit and human articular cartilage: A comparison of the saf-ranine O and toluidine blue techniques. J. Histo-tech. 1982,5, 111–116.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh P, Burkhart D, Read R, Bellenger C: Recent advances in animal models for evaluating chon-droprotective drugs. J. Rheum. 1991, 18 (suppl 27), 143–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grondalen J, Grondalen T: Arthrosis in the elbow joint of young rapidly growing dogs V A pa-thoanatomical investigation. Nord. vet. med. 1981,53, 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heinegård D, Inerot S, Wieslander J, Lindblad G: A method for the quantification of cartilage proteoglycan structures liberated to the synovial fluid during developing degenerative joint disease. Scand. J. clin. Lab. Invest. 1985, 45, 427–427

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ho C, Cervilla V, Kjellin I, {etet al}: Magnetic resonance imaging in assessing cartilage changes in experimental osteoarthritis of the knee. Inv. Radiol. 1992,27, 84–90.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kirkwood BR: Medical statistics. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford 1988, 147–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levick JR: The “clearance” of macromolecular substances such as cartilage markers from synovial fluid and serum. In: Maroudas A, Kuettner K (eds.): Methods of cartilage research. Academic Press, London 1990, 352–362.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lohmander LS: Proteoglycans of joint cartilage of joint cartilage - Structure, function, turnover and role as markers of joint disease. In Dixon JS, Bird HA (eds.): Clinical Rheumatology: Biochemical aspects of rheumatic diseases. Baillière Tindall/-Saunders, London 1988, 37–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lohmander LS, Dahlberg L, Ryd L, Heinegãrd D: Increased levels of proteoglycan fragments in knee joint fluid after injury. Arthr. and Rheum. 1989,32, 1434–1442.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lohmander LS, Lark MW, Dahlberg L, Walakowits LA, Roos H: Cartilage matrix metabolism in osteoarthritis: Markers in synovial fluid, serum, and urine. Clin. Biochem. 1992,25, 167–174.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McDevitt CA, Muir H: Biochemical changes in the cartilage of the knee in experimental and natural osteoarthritis in the dog. J Bone Joint Surg 1976, 58B, 94–101.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mankin HJ, Dorfman H, Lipiello L, Zarins A: Biochemical and metabolic abnormalities in articular cartilage from osteo-arthritic human hips. II. Correlation of morphology with biochemical and metabolic data. J. Bone Joint Surg. 1971, 53A, 523–537.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell NS, Cruess RL: Classification of degenerative arthritis. Can. Med. Ass. J. 1977,117, 763–765.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy G, Hembry RM, Hughes CE, Fosang AJ, Hardingham TE: Role and regulation of metal-loproteinases in connective tissue turnover. Biochem. Soc. Trans. 1990,18, 812–815.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Myers SL, Brandt KD, Eilam O: Even low-grade synovitis significantly accelerates the clearance of protein from the canine knee. Implications for measurement of synovial fluid “markers” of osteoarthritis. Arthr. and Rheum. 1995,38, 1085–1091.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nojima T, Towle CA, Mankin HJ, Treadwell BV: Secretion of higher levels of active proteoglyca-nases from human osteoarthritic chondrocytes. Arthr. and Rheum. 1986,29, 292–295.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Page-Thomas DP, Bard D, King B, Dingle JT: Clearance of proteoglycan from joint cavities. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 1987,46, 934–937.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Palmoski MJ, Brandt KD: Immobilization of the knee prevents osteoarthritis after anterior cruciate ligament transection. Arthr. and Rheum. 1982,25, 1201–1208.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Poole AR, Ionescu M, Swan A, {etet al}: Changes in cartilage metabolism in arthritis are reflected by altered serum and synovial fluid levels of the cartilage proteoglycan aggrecan. Implications for pathogenesis. J. clin. Invest. 1994,94, 25–33.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ratcliffe A, Doherty M, Maini RN, Hardingham TE: Increased concentrations of proteoglycan components in synovial fluids of patients with acute but not chronic joint disease. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 1988,47, 826–832.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg LC: Chemical basis for the histological use of safranine O in the study of articular cartilage. J. Bone Joint Surg. 1971, 53A, 69–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rorvik AM: Methods and errors in measurements of synovial fluid volume in joints with low volume and high viscosity synovial fluid. An experimental study in goats. Acta vet. scand. 1995,36, 213–222.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rorvik AM, Gröndahl AM: Markers of osteoarthritis. A review of the literature. Vet. Surg. 1995,24, 255–262.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sandy JD, Adams ME, Billingham MEJ, Plaas A, Muir H: In vivo and in vitro stimulation of chondrocyte biosynthetic activity in early experimental osteoarthritis. Arthr. and Rheum. 1984,27, 388–397.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • SAS Institute Inc.: SAS ver. 6.1 for Windows, Univariate procedure, Cary, USA, 1989-1993.

  • Saxne T, Heinegãrd D, Wollheim FA: Therapeutic effects on cartilage metabolism in arthritis as measured by release of proteoglycan structures into synovial fluid. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 1986,45, 491–497.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sokal RR, Rohlf FJ: Biometry, the principles and practice of statistics in biological research, 2.ed. W.H. Freeman and company, New York 1981, 354–359.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallis WJ, Simkin PA, Nelp WB: Protein traffic in human synovial effusions. Arthr. and Rheum. 1987,30, 57–63.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

The authors want to thank Professor Dr Monika Ostensen, Department of Rheumatology, Trondheim Central Hospital and Professor Dr Ronald D. Sande, Washington State University, for their contribution and personal support. Thanks also to Dick Heinegârd, Department of Physiological Chemistry, University of Lund, Sweden, for analyses of synovial fluids, and Nils Normann, The Hormone Laboratory, Aker Hospital, Oslo, for supplying the RISA used in the measurements. The authors also want to express gratitude to professor Peter Revell, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London, and Birgit Røed, Department of Morphology, Genetics and Aquatic Biology, Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine (NVH), for their assistance regarding the histological staining of cartilage sections. The study was supported by a grant from The Research Council of Norway.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 8146 Dep., N-0033, Oslo, Norway

    A. M. Rorvik

  2. Department of Morphology, Genetics and Aquatic Biology, Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine, Oslo, Norway

    J. Teige

Authors
  1. A. M. Rorvik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. Teige
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. M. Rorvik.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rorvik, A.M., Teige, J. Unstable Stifles without Clinical or Radiographic Osteoarthritis in Young Goats: An Experimental Study. Acta Vet Scand 37, 265–272 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03548093

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03548093

Keywords

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147