The chondroprotective effects of intraarticular application of statin in osteoarthritis: An experimental study

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most frequent chronic joint disease causing pain and disability. Recent reports have shown that statin may have the potential to inhibit osteoarthritis. This study of early stage OA developed in an experimental rabbit model, aimed to evaluate the chondroprotective effects of intraarticularly applied atorvastatin on cartilage tissue macroscopically and histopathologically by examining intracellular and extracellular changes by light and electron microscope. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The experimental knee OA model was created by cutting the anterior cruciate ligament of the 20 mature New Zealand rabbits. The rabbits were randomly allocated into two groups of 10. Study group: The group that received intraarticular statin therapy; Control group: The group that did not receive any intraarticular statin therapy. The control group received an intraarticular administration of saline and the study group atorvastatin from the 1(st) week postoperatively, once a week for 3 weeks. The knee joints were removed including the femoral and tibial joint surfaces for light and electron microscopic studies of articular cartilages. RESULTS: The mean total points obtained from the evaluation of the lesions that developed in the medial femoral condyle were 11.33 ± 0.667 for the control group and 1.5 ± 0.687 for the study group. The mean total points obtained from the evaluation of the lesions that developed in medial tibial plateau cartilage tissue were 11.56 ± 0.709 for the control group and 1.40 ± 0.618 for the study group. Electron microscopic evaluation revealed healthy cartilage tissue with appropriate chondrocyte and matrix structure in study group and impaired cartilage tissue in control group. CONCLUSION: Chondroprotective effect of statin on cartilage tissue was determined in this experimental OA model evaluated macroscopically and by light and electron microscope. There are some evidences to believe that the chondroprotective effect of the statin is that, by protecting the structure of the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi complex.