RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To determine the ameliorative effects of prolotherapy on monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) induced and histomorphological changes in the articular cartilage of tibial condyles at rat knee joint. STUDY DESIGN: An experimental study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Anatomy, Army Medical College Rawalpindi, NUMS, Rawalpindi, from August to November 2021. METHODOLOGY: Thirty adult male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups, each having 10 rats. Group A was control. Group B was injected with single dose of 1mg MIA intraarticularly in the right knee to induce osteoarthritic changes. Group C was injected with single dose of 1mg MIA intraarticularly, in right knee was followed by 0.1ml Prolotherapy (3ml of 25% dextrose, 2ml of 2% xylocaine, 1ml of injection neurobion, and 1ml of injection methecobal) as intra articular injection at week 2, 6 and 10 in right knee. Rats were sacrificed after one month of the last dose of Prolotherapy. Articular cartilage was collected for gross and histological examination and compared among the groups. RESULTS: Articular cartilage belonging to control group A was normal. While group B showed statistically significant deterioration in gross appearance (p = 0.001**), reduction in number of chondrocytes (p = 0.005*) and thickness of articular cartilage (p = 0.001**) in comparison to group A. In group C due to prolotherapy statistically significant improvement in gross appearance (p = 0.034*), increase in number of chondrocytes (p = 0.003*), and thickness of articular cartilage (p = 0.001**) was observed as compared to group B. CONCLUSION: Prolotherapy significantly ameliorates histomorphology of tibial articular cartilage against MIA induced osteoarthritic changes in rat knee joint. KEY WORDS: Articular cartilage, Knee joint, Monosodium iodoacetate, Osteoarthritis, Prolotherapy.