Preventive effect of viartrils on the cartilage degenration of osteoarthritis in rabbits

AIM: To determine whether the viartrils could provide a beneficial effect on the prevention of early/middle stage osteoarthritis(OA) and affect the proliferation of chondrocytes. METHODS: An OA model was produced with severing the anterior, posterior cruciate ligaments of the knee in 24 adult New Zealand rabbits. The animals were then randomly divided into viartrils group and control group. After surgical operation, viartrils (mainly contains glucosamine sulphate) 2 pills per day were administered to the animals in viartrils group. The animals were sacrificed and specimens were taken from the weight-bearing portion of the femoral condylar seven weeks after operation. Each case was evaluated according to a modified histological-histochemical grading system(HHGS) using HE and safranin O/fast green staining slides, and immunohistochemical method was used to detect the proliferation of chondrocytes in articular cartilage. RESULTS: The method of severing the anerior, posterior cruciate ligaments of the knee could successfully induce the early/middle stage model of OA. The pathological remark in control group was significantly higher than that in the viartrils group (P<0.05). The proliferative index of viartrils group chondrocytes was also higher than that in control (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: These data indicate that viartrils could increase the proliferation of chondrocytes and prevent the development of OA pathologic process.