Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026
The Monoiodoacetate Model of Osteoarthritis Pain in the Mouse
Published on: May 16, 2016
Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation during the Induction and Progression of Osteoarthritis in a Rat Model
E C Castillo1, M A Hernandez-Cueto, M A Vega-Lopez
1Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (CINVESTAV), IPN, Avenida IPN No. 2508, 07360 México, DF, Mexico ; Departamento de Biomedicina Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (CINVESTAV), IPN, Avenida IPN No. 2508, 07360 México, DF, Mexico.
Abstract:
Epidemiological studies correlate low levels of vitamin D with the osteoarthritis (OA) progression. Cytokines and metalloproteases play a major role in OA promoting the inflammation and degradation of the cartilage and can be induced through the Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of vitamin D supplementation on the development of osteoarthritis (OA) through examining the genetic regulation of TLRs, cytokines, and metalloproteases in chondrocytes as well as the wideness of cartilage in rats with OA. Our results demonstrate that the signaling through TLR-4 is a proinflammatory mechanism in osteoarthritis that drives the upregulation of MMP-3, IL-1β, and TNF-α gene expression, leading to cartilage degradation and inflammation. Vitamin D supplementation had a protective effect during the onset but not during the chronic stage of OA in the rat model.