Models to define the stages of articular cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis development

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic disorder that affects an increasing number of the ageing population. Despite the prevalence, there are currently no therapies. Defining new therapies that target specific pathogenic phases of disease development relies on the effective separation of the different stages of OA. This manuscript reviews the tissues and models that are being used to separate these stages of disease, in particular initiation and early and late progression. These models include human tissues with known initiating factors, the use of anatomical locations with defined relationships to the primary cartilage lesion area, timing of OA development in well-described animal models and the versatility of a non-invasive model of murine knee joint trauma.

Keywords: cartilage; mouse models; osteoarthritis.

Figure 1

Stages of osteoarthritis and potential target points for therapy. Prevention therapy can be used before disease initiation in normal joints; blocking progression from taking place may be targeted through events that make joint become progressively worse with time. During progression, early and late stages should be separated as slowing of the rate of progression and repair potentials will be more successful in the earlier stages of disease, whereas total joint replacement (TJR) may be the only option left for late stages of disease.