Intra-articular effects of combined xenogenous serum rich in growth factors (SRGF) and vitamin C on histopathology grading and staging of osteoarthritis in rat model.

OBJECTIVE: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common degenerative diseases especially in the knee joint. The definitive method for the treatment of this disease is not known. In recent years, use of platelet-derived products has been considered as a new therapeutic approach because of its low cost, easy to use, and minimum side effects. Serum rich of growth factors (SRGF) is one of the biological compounds used to healing and regeneration. Its effects may improve in combination with antioxidants such as vitamin C. This vitamin increases the synthesis of proteoglycans by chondrocytes. The present study investigated effect of xenogenous SRGF in combination with vitamin C on the monosodium iodoacetate-induction osteoarthritis in rats.

METHODS: Animals were randomly categorized into three groups including OA, SRGF, and vitamin C+SRGF. Treatments were performed with 3 time intra-articular injection in weekly intervals. Knee samples were taken after two weeks of the last treatment for histopathologic investigations.

RESULTS: In the OA group, surface fibrillation and irregularity, multiple clefts, loss of chondrocytes, proteoglycan depletion with Toluidine blue staining were detected. In the treated group with SRGF/vitamin C, the severity of degenerative lesions was decreased. Chondrocytes had proliferated and matrix proteoglycan increased in compared to the SRGF and OA groups. Also, osteoarthritis stage was markedly reduced in this group rather than two other groups.

CONCLUSION: The results of this study show the synergic effect of vitamin C and growth factors on accelerating articular repair.