Original Article
Spinal Cord (2009) 47, 218–224; doi:10.1038/sc.2008.96; published online 5 August 2008
Contrasting alteration patterns of different cartilage plates in knee articular cartilage after spinal cord injury in rats
H Moriyama1, K Nishihara1, M Hosoda2, Y Saka3, N Kanemura1, K Takayanagi1, O Yoshimura4 and Y Tobimatsu5
- 1Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health and Social Services, Saitama Prefectural University, Saitama, Japan
- 2Department of Physical Therapy, Ryotokuji University, Chiba, Japan
- 3Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hiroshima International University, Hiroshima, Japan
- 4Hiroshima City General Rehabilitation Center, Hiroshima, Japan
- 5Department of Diagnosis and Treatment, Hospital of National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, Saitama, Japan
Correspondence: Dr H Moriyama, Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health and Social Services, Saitama Prefectural University, 820 San-Nomiya, Koshigaya-shi, Saitama 343-8540, Japan. E-mail: moriyama-hideki@spu.ac.jp
Received 15 April 2008; Revised 19 June 2008; Accepted 6 July 2008; Published online 5 August 2008.
Abstract
Study design:
Experimental, controlled trial, animal study.
Objective:
To assess morphologic changes in different cartilage plates after spinal cord injury and identify the localization of these alterations.
Setting:
Saitama, Japan.
Methods:
A total of 16 Wistar rats were used. Eight rats underwent a spinal cord injury and eight rats had no intervention as control. The cartilage alterations of the knee joint were evaluated with radiography and histomorphometric analysis. To quantify cartilage alterations, we selected the histologic characteristics: thickness of the articular cartilage, number of chondrocytes, matrix staining to toluidine blue as a reflection of proteoglycan content and surface irregularity.
Results:
No differences in knee joints were found between the groups by radiography. In the medial knee joint, cartilage thickness of spinal-cord-injured knees increased at the anterior femoral region and decreased at the tibial and posterior femoral regions; however, in the lateral knee, that of spinal cord injuries did not change compared with control knees. Spinal cord injuries decreased the number of chondrocytes, especially at the anterior femoral regions. Matrix staining increased partially at the tibial regions. Surface irregularity of spinal-cord-injured knees was comparable to that of control knees in all cartilage plates.
Conclusion:
The present findings exhibit characteristics of the cartilage after spinal cord injury. These alterations were different in nature between the medial and lateral regions. Future studies should assess separately different cartilage plates, to overestimate these severities when the changes at the medial knee were examined and to underestimate when the changes at the lateral knee were examined.
Keywords:
spinal cord injuries, cartilage, paralysis, spasticity, rats, knee joint
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