The duration and dose-dependent side effects of conventional intra-articular
corticosteroid treatment in
osteoarthritis (OA) like cartilage damage and chondrocyte toxicity warrant the search for alternative
therapeutics.
Oxaceprol, a recognized oral therapeutic agent for
osteoarthritis, is yet to be explored for its intra-articular route of administration confirming better safety profile. In this study, a comparative evaluation of intra-articular
oxaceprol and
corticosteroid is carried out in
osteoarthritis rabbit model.
Osteoarthritis was induced by
monosodium iodoacetate in rabbits. After randomization into three groups of five animals each: OA with
intra-articular injection of saline, OA with
intra-articular injection of
oxaceprol, and OA with
intra-articular injection of
corticosteroids, treatment efficacy was analyzed by evaluation of
inflammation through knee swelling,
pain assessment by wire walking, and hot plate method. Further biopsies were collected for histological characterization. Intra-articular
oxaceprol and
corticosteroids reduced 20.5 and 24.5% knee swelling respectively within 4 weeks compared to those in control osteoarthritic rabbits.
Oxaceprol exhibited
analgesic action in visual analogue scoring of wire walking method. Hot plate test further confirmed drastic minimization of
pain in
oxaceprol intervention. Histological investigation suggested that application of
oxaceprol has the abilities to protect articular cartilages from degenerative changes that occur in
osteoarthritis. Marked improvement both in bone and cellular matrixes was observed in
oxaceprol-treated group while gross lesions were visible and consisted of a well-demarcated area of cartilage erosion in control group.
Intra-articular injection of
oxaceprol showed remarkable improvement of articular cartilage in chemically induced osteoarthritic rabbits.