Alterations in the articular cartilage of the femoral head of Wistar runner rats as a function of age

Author(s)

Andrea Bogoslavsky

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ/SBD)
• Defense date: 2006-12-14

Examining board members

Romeu Rodrigues de Souza; Esem Pereira Cerqueira; Antonio Augusto Coppi Maciel Ribeiro

• Advisor: Romeu Rodrigues de Souza

Abstract

Several studies has demonstrate that the physical activity can bring benefits for the articular cartilage. These show a reduction in articular lesion risks, preventing the adherences in the articulation, increasing and maintaining its mobility and combating the obesity, which is a great risk factor for the development of articulate lesions. On the other hand, it is known that the aging provokes harmful alterations in several tissues, including articular cartilage. The objective of this work was to verify if the regular physical activity promotes alterations in the process of aging of the articular cartilage of the femoral head of Wistar runner rats. For this research were used 24 Wistar runner rats. The animals were divided in three groups containing eight animals each one: Sedentary (S) - adult sedentary rats; (T) - adult trained rats; and Control (C) - young adult rats. The articular cartilages of the femoral heads were analyzed by two methods: light microscopy (three each group) and scanning electron microscopy (five each group). The results in light microscopy were obtained using stereological method and there were not statistically significant differences in relation to age and training for the parameters: total volume of the cartilage, total number of chondrocytes, volume density of extra cellular matrix and total volume of extra cellular matrix (P=0,05). The data were statistically significant in \"border line\" for age in the parameters chondrocyte volume density and mean chondrocyte volume (P=0,058) and for training in the parameter cellular density (P=0,058). By scanning electron microscopy was possible to observe that in S group, the surface of articular cartilage of the femoral head came flat and with areas of evident erosions, while, in T group, there were clear undulations, without the presence of erosions. These data take us to conclude that a program of constant physical activity during the aging promotes benefits for the articular cartilage of the femoral head by suggests that the cartilage of the animals of the S group was more susceptible to lesions than the ones of the T and C group and that the physical activity promoted the stimulation of the chondrocytes, increasing the resistance of the cartilage to the harmful modifications of the aging. (AU)