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Updated: Jun 3, 2026
The Monoiodoacetate Model of Osteoarthritis Pain in the Mouse
Published on: May 16, 2016
A review of current animal models of osteoarthritis pain
Warren N D'Souza1, Gordon Y Ng, Bradley D Youngblood
1Department of Neuroscience, Amgen, Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA.
Abstract:
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex disease plagued by a significant unmet need for treatment. To date, no disease- modifying OA drugs (DMOADs) exist and the available symptom-modifying OA drugs (SMOADs) have limitations. Although a complete understanding of the mechanisms of OA pain in humans is lacking, animal models have helped provide insight into the multifaceted origin and manifestation of OA pain. Success in discovering new therapeutics will likely require reliance on good animal models. This review summarizes the animal models available for studying pain associated with OA.
Insights
Osteoarthritis pain lacks effective treatments. This review details animal models crucial for understanding osteoarthritis pain mechanisms and developing new therapies.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics and Rheumatology
- Pain Research
- Translational Medicine
Background:
- Osteoarthritis (OA) presents a significant challenge with no existing disease-modifying drugs (DMOADs) and limited symptom-modifying OA drugs (SMOADs).
- The precise mechanisms of OA pain in humans remain incompletely understood, necessitating reliance on preclinical models.
- Effective therapeutic development for OA pain is hindered by the lack of suitable research tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and summarize the various animal models currently employed for studying osteoarthritis pain.
- To highlight the utility of these models in elucidating the complex origins and manifestations of OA pain.
- To underscore the importance of appropriate animal models in the discovery of novel OA therapeutics.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search of preclinical studies focusing on osteoarthritis pain.
- Categorization and description of different animal models used in OA research.
- Analysis of the strengths and limitations of each model in representing human OA pain.
Main Results:
- Several animal models, including rodent and larger animal models, are available for OA pain research.
- These models exhibit varying degrees of fidelity in replicating human OA pathology and pain phenotypes.
- Key differences in pain mechanisms and responses are observed across different models.
Conclusions:
- Animal models are indispensable tools for investigating OA pain mechanisms and evaluating potential treatments.
- Selection of the most appropriate animal model is critical for successful translation to human OA therapy.
- Further refinement and validation of existing models, and development of new ones, are needed to accelerate therapeutic discovery for osteoarthritis.
