A novel rabbit model of early osteoarthritis exhibits gradual cartilage degeneration after medial collateral ligament transection outside the joint capsule

Though many surgical animal models have been used to induce osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee joint, they always open the capsule of the joint. Any surgical procedures that incises the capsule may cause inflammation, pain, and possibly altered gait. One common disadvantage of these surgically induced animal models is that they may affect the initial structures and synovial fluid in joint. These animal models may not be suitable for research into synovial fluid changes during early OA. This study aimed to create an animal model of early OA by resecting the medial collateral ligament (MCL) outside of the capsule. At 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 weeks after surgery, eight knees from each group were harvested. The joint gap was measured on posteroanterior radiographs after MCL-transection (MCLT). Gross examination and histological analysis were performed to evaluate cartilage damage to the medial femoral condyles, and knee joints were scanned using a Micro-CT system. The MCLT group experienced early stage OA from 3 to 6 weeks according to the histological scores. IL-6, MMP-1 and MMP-13 content in the synovial fluid were higher after MCLT than anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) at 1 and 2 weeks.