Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jul-Sep;13(3):19476035221102566.
doi: 10.1177/19476035221102566.

Decrease in Glycosaminoglycan with Aging in Normal Rat Articular Cartilage Is Greater in Females than in Males

Mikiko Kobayashi-Miura  1 , Harumi Osago  1 , Yoshifumi Hamasaki  1 , Ikuko Takano  1 , Mitsuki Akiho  1 , Mineyoshi Hiyoshi  1 , Nobumasa Hara  1
Affiliations

Decrease in Glycosaminoglycan with Aging in Normal Rat Articular Cartilage Is Greater in Females than in Males

Mikiko Kobayashi-Miura et al. Cartilage. 2022 Jul-Sep.

Abstract

Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA) is more prevalent in females. We hypothesized that changes in articular cartilage (AC) constituents with aging may cause differences. Herein, we aimed to compare the changes in AC constituents with aging in male and female normal rats.

Design: The glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and collagen (COL) contents of the AC in knee, hip, and shoulder joints of male and female rats were quantified and compared between age groups and sexes.

Results: The amount of GAG was decreased in multiple joints in both males and females with aging. In females, it had a significant decrease in all joints measured. The decrease in GAG with aging was more severe in females than in males. Even in young rats, the amount of knee joint GAG was significantly less in females than in males. The amount of COL in the AC was unchanged with aging in both sexes.

Conclusions: The drastic GAG decrease with aging in female normal rats may explain the higher prevalence and more severe OA in females.

Keywords: aging; articular cartilage; female; glycosaminoglycan.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Comparison of multiple articular cartilage constituents (GAG and Hyp) between young and old rats. (A) GAG in male, (B) GAG in female, (C) Hyp in male, and (D) Hyp in female. The data show means ± SD. GAG = glycosaminoglycan; Hyp = hydroxyproline. *There is a significant difference between young and old rats (P < 0.05).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Relative value of the amount in the old based on the amount in the young. The relative value (old/young) was shown in both males and females. (A) GAG and (B) Hyp. GAG = glycosaminoglycan; Hyp = hydroxyproline.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Comparison of multiple articular cartilage constituents (GAG and Hyp) between male and female rats. (A) GAG in young, (B) GAG in old, (C) Hyp in young, (D) Hyp in old, (E) GAG/Hyp ratio in young, and (F) GAG/Hyp ratio in old. The data show means ± SD. GAG = glycosaminoglycan; Hyp = hydroxyproline. *There is a significant difference between male and female rats (P < 0.05).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Yoshimura N, Nakamura K. Epidemiology of locomotive organ disorders and symptoms: an estimation using the population-based cohorts in Japan. J Bone Miner Metab. 2016;14:68-73. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Shimokata H, Ando F. Longitudinal epidemiological study on locomotive organ disease (NILS-LSA). J Clin Exp Med (Igaku No Ayumi). 2011;236:319-24. (In Japanese)
    1. Oliveria SA, Felson DT, Reed JI, Cirillo PA, Walker AM. Incidence of symptomatic hand, hip, and knee osteoarthritis among patients in a health maintenance organization. Arthritis Rheum. 1995;38:1134-41. - PubMed
    1. de Klerk BM, Frans DS, Groeneveld PMJ, Koes BW. No clear association between female hormonal aspects and osteoarthritis of the hand, hip and knee: a systematic review. Rheumatol. 2009;48:1160-5. - PubMed
    1. Arden N, Nevitt MC. Osteoarthritis: epidemiology. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2006;20:3-25. - PubMed

Publication types