Intra-articular injection of vitamin A: a rabbit model to study osteoarthrosis

Abstract

An experimental model of osteoarthrosis (OA) induced by injection of vitamin A in knees of rabbits is presented.  This model represents a modification and improvement of a preexisting one (Boni et al., 1977;  Benazzo et al., 1982) based on a higher number of vitamin A injections. In our model, two vitamin A injections  were sufficient to induce OA without exposure of the subchondral bone. The advantages of this model  are: 1) the maintaining of articular cartilage could make the experimental joints suitable to test the reparative  efficiency of candidate intra-articular pharmacological treatments, 2) animal stress and the risk of  infections are strongly reduced in compliance with European legislation on laboratory animal welfare.