J Korean Orthop Assoc.  2009 Feb;44(1):8-13. 10.4055/jkoa.2009.44.1.8.

Steroid-induced Early Changes in the Femoral Head and Hip Joint in Rats

• Kang C
• Hwang DS
• Lee WS
• Kim JM
• Kang TH

• KMID: 2186372
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4055/jkoa.2009.44.1.8

Abstract

PURPOSE: To determine if the early changes to the articular cartilage and synovium of the hip joint in relation to steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head is either as a preceding factor or as a secondary consequence in the pathomechanism.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirty-two Sprague Dawley rats were divided into two groups, 16 receiving a steroid injection and 16 as a control group. Tissue samples of the hip joint were taken from 4 rats from each group every 4 weeks over a 16 week period. The specimens were investigated for the early changes to the articular cartilage, subchondral bone of the femoral head and the synovium after H & E staining and toluidine blue stain. Five histological criteria were applied to determine the cartilage status.
RESULTS
Histologically, there was a gradual increase in chondrocyte cloning in the steroid injection group. In addition, synovial hypertrophy and the enlargement of fatty cysts with the loss of hematopoietic cells were observed.
CONCLUSION
Synovial hypertrophy and some evidences of articular cartilage degeneration associated with steroid-induced early femoral head osteonecrosis appears to be the result of a direct inflammatory reaction to the steroid injection. This suggests that early presentation of the pathologic lesion in the hip joint might occur without definitive radiological evidence of femoral head osteonecrosis.

Keyword

Steroid; Osteonecrosis of femoral head; Articular cartilage; Synovial hypertrophy; Chondrocyte cloning

MeSH Terms

Animals
Cartilage
Cartilage, Articular
Chondrocytes
Clone Cells
Cloning, Organism
Head
Hip
Hip Joint
Hypertrophy
Osteonecrosis
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Synovial Membrane
Tolonium Chloride
Tolonium Chloride

Figure

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  Fig. 1 A photograph showing the Sprague Dawley rat hip joint.

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  Fig. 2 Graphs indicating that the mean percentage of empty lacuna in the steroid-induced group is higher than in the control group.

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