title: Osteoarthrosis of the ankle joints in old rats.
abstract: The paper describes results of histological investigations on 26-month-old rats with osteoarthrosis of the ankle joints. From the morphological appearance a sequence of alterations from focal chondrocytic necroses, fibrillation to partial or total cartilage loss occurred. The reported changes were often present in opposing cartilage contact zones. A synovitis seems not to be involved in this cartilage destructive process. It is assumed that this spontaneously occurring osteoarthrosis can be used as a model to study the mechanisms leading to cartilage destruction. The model may further be useful to elucidate protective or detrimental effects of therapeutic substances.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Pathologie, Universität Ulm.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mohr
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lehmann
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D007596:Joints / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats