Effect of high-sugar and high-fat diet on the morphology of rabbit knee articular cartilage / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There is a positive correlation between the serum cholesterol and osteoarthrosis incidence. However, it is still unclear whether the high-sugar and high-fat diet participates in the process of articular cartilage degeneration leading to osteoarthrosis, and the participation mechanism is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes in knee cartilage morphology of New Zealand white rabbits fed with high-sugar and high-fat diet and to explore the effect of high-sugar and high-fat diet on articular cartilage degeneration. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: The randomized controlled experiment was performed in Animal Laboratory, Xiangya Medical College from January to September 2008. MATERIALS: Forty healthy adult male New Zealand white rabbits, weighing about 2 kg, were randomly divided into 4 groups with 10 in each group. METHODS: Male New Zealand white rabbits were divided into four groups: ①normal diet group(NG), ②high-sugar diet (mixture of 37% cane sugar and 63% normal fodder) group(SG), ③high-fat diet (mixture of 20% lard and 80% normal fodder) group(FG), ④high-sugar and high-fat diet (mixture of 37% cane sugar, 10% lard and 53% normal fodder) group(SFG), MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Fasting blood samples were extracted every 4 weeks. The levels of blood sugar, triglyceride, cholesterol and insulin were detected, and body mass was recorded. The femoral condyle cartilage were dyed with toluidine blue, observed with transmit electron microscope after general observation of rabbit knee joints at the 28th weeks. RESULTS: ①Blood sugar, triglyceride, total cholesterol in FG and SFG were obviously higher than that in NG, the level of blood insulin in FG and SFG increased first, and then decreased significantly (P 0.05). ② By light microscope and transmit electron microscope observation, the FG and SFG demonstrated that tide line disappeared, cartilage cells were ranged in disorder, collagen fibers fractured, cartilage cells and a change in shape, such as shrinkage. These changes of morphology were not observed in SG. CONCLUSION: Long-term high-fat diet or high-sugar and high-fat diet may induce or aggravate the disorder of articular cartilage, suggested that it may take part in the development of osteoarthritis.