Effect of advanced oxidation protein products on articular cartilage and synovium in a rabbit osteoarthritis model

Advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), a marker of oxidative stress, are prevalent in many kinds of disorders. Osteoarthritis (OA), mainly resulting from the regression of cartilage, chronic inflammation of the synovium and the subchondral bone remodeling. Although the inflammatory response of AOPPs on fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) were reported, the effect of AOPPs on cartilage and synovial in vivo remains unclear. Therefore, our study aims to investigate whether AOPPs have an effect on the articular cartilage and synovial in a rabbit model of OA.

OA model were created by anterior cruciate ligament transection and medial meniscus resection (ACLT + MMx). Forty-eight male New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham-operated group, AOPPs/ACLT + MMx group, and phosphate buffered saline (PBS)/ACLT + MMx group. In sham-operated group, the anterior cruciate ligament was just exposed without transection, and then the incision was sutured. Then intra-articular injection of AOPPs or PBS was performed in the other two groups. Through four weeks and eight weeks of treatment, rabbits in each group were sacrificed. Both hind legs were removed. India ink staining and Safranin O and fast green staining were used to evaluate the macroscopic and microscopic cartilage morphology. The protein expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-3, MMP-13 in synovium was measured by Western blot.

The India ink score and Mankin score of AOPPs/ACLT + MMx group were both higher than the other two groups at the two time points. Western blot have revealed that intra-articular injection of AOPPs upregulated the protein expression of MMP-3 and MMP-13 in synovium.

AOPPs participated in the occurrence and development of OA by upregulating the protein expression of MMP-3 and MMP-13 in synovium.