Fig. 5.

Effects of the combination of hyaluronic acid and adelmidrol on cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis (OA) knee tissue. MIA-induced OA and tissue sample processing were carried out as detailed in the Methods section. No cartilage degeneration was observed in the sham group (a). Significant histopathological changes were evident in the MIA + solvent (b) and MIA + 1.0% sodium hyaluronate (c) groups, as indicated by surface irregularity, disorganization of articular cartilage with apparent cloning of chondrocytes in the transitional and radial zones, and an intact tidemark. The combination of HA and adelmidrol at the doses indicated (0.6% adelmidrol + 1.0% sodium hyaluronate (d), and 2% adelmidrol + 1.0% sodium hyaluronate (e)) significantly prevented damage to the cartilage structure, reduced cellular abnormalities, and prevented change of the tidemark induced by administration of MIA. Cartilage degeneration scoring was performed by an independent observer (f). Data are means ± SEM of 10 rats for each group. *P < 0.05 versus sham, °P < 0.05 versus MIA + vehicle