Abstract 44

A TANGLED SKEIN - COMPLEX TISSUE INTERPLAY IN OVINE MODELS OF OSTEOARTHRITIS AND MENOPAUSE

Cake MA

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch WA 6150 Australia

Investigations using the ovine meniscectomy model of osteoarthritis have revealed extensive involvement of joint tissues other than articular cartilage, including subchondral bone (SCB) sclerosis, gross and microscopic synovitis, and altered ligament gene expression. Similarly, ovariectomy of ewes induces structural changes in many connective tissues including articular cartilage and intervertebral disc, in addition to the expected bone remodeling (which can be marked in the immediate subchondral region). When the meniscectomy and ovariectomy insults are combined, as in a model of postmenopausal osteoarthritis, cartilage degeneration is exacerbated without altering effects on SCB structure. However, metabolic and vascular lesions suggest that gender and particularly menopausal status may have an important influence on the SCB and synovial responses in osteoarthritis.

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