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. 1996 Sep 1;37(3):265–272. doi: 10.1186/BF03548093

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

A M Rorvik 15,✉, J Teige 25
PMCID: PMC8063973  PMID: 8996872

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.

Keywords: Synovial fluid, proteoglycan, cruciate ligament, animal model

Full Text

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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.

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