{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T19:14:51Z","timestamp":1790190891855,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,7,16]],"date-time":"2021-07-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1626393600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001691","name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Young Scientists B (number: 17K13051)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Young Scientists B (number: 17K13051)"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001691","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001691","name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Early Career Scientists (number: 20K19444)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Early Career Scientists (number: 20K19444)"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001691","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The purpose of this study was to clarify the histological effect of reducing the loading to knee on cartilage degeneration, osteophyte formation, and synovitis in early-stage osteoarthritis (OA) using a post-traumatic rat model. Ten male rats were randomly allocated into two experimental groups: OA induction by surgical destabilization of medial meniscus (DMM, OA group) and hindlimb suspension after OA induction by DMM (OAHS group). The articular cartilage, osteophyte formation, and synovial membrane in the medial tibiofemoral joint were analyzed histologically and histomorphometrically at 2 and 4 weeks after surgery. The histological scores and changes in articular cartilage and osteophyte formation were significantly milder and slower in the OAHS group than in the OA group. At 2 and 4 weeks, there were no significant differences in cartilage thickness and matrix staining intensity between both the groups, but chondrocytes density was significantly lower in the OA group. Synovitis was milder in OAHS group than in OA group at 2 weeks. Reducing knee joint loading inhibited histological OA changes in articular cartilage, osteophyte formation, and synovial inflammation. This result supports the latest clinical guidelines for OA treatment. Further studies using biochemical and mechanical analyses are necessary to elucidate the mechanism underlying delayed OA progression caused by joint-load reduction.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0254383","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,7,16]],"date-time":"2021-07-16T17:34:56Z","timestamp":1626456896000},"page":"e0254383","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":22,"title":["Reduction of knee joint load suppresses cartilage degeneration, osteophyte formation, and synovitis in early-stage osteoarthritis using a post-traumatic rat model"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1924-3101","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ikufumi","family":"Takahashi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Keisuke","family":"Takeda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2292-4007","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Taro","family":"Matsuzaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hiroshi","family":"Kuroki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Masahiro","family":"Hoso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,7,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0254383.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2017","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joca.2014.07.024","article-title":"Osteoarthritis year in review 2014: genetics and genomics","volume":"22","author":"A. 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London: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care [updated 2014 February; cited 2018 April 5]. Available from: http:\/\/www.nice.org.uk\/guidance\/cg177."},{"key":"#cr-split#-pone.0254383.ref009.1","unstructured":"Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee - 2nd Edition (PDF) [Internet]. Illinois: The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons [updated 2013 May 18"},{"key":"#cr-split#-pone.0254383.ref009.2","unstructured":"cited 2018 March 28]. 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