EFFECTS OF INTRAARTICULAR VITAMIN-E AND CORTICOSTEROID INJECTION IN EXPERIMENTAL HEMARTHROSIS IN RABBITS

The effects of intra-articular injections of vitamin E and corticoster oid were investigated in skeletally mature New Zealand white rabbits i n which experimental hemarthrosis was induced for 14 days. The rabbits were divided into three groups composed of eight rabbits each. the fi rst group comprised of animals with hemarthrosis, the second group ani mals with hemarthrosis and intra-articular injections of 20 ng vitamin E, and the third group animals with hemarthrosis and intra-articular injections of 10 mg of triamcinolone acetonide (TCA). Proteoglycan lev els in the joint cartilage of the hemarthrosis group were found to be increased significantly compared with the controls (P <.01), whereas i n the vitamin E-injected group they were significantly decreased (P <. 05). In the TCA-injected group proteoglycan levels were not found to b e significantly different from those in the hemarthrosis group, (P > . 05). Histopathological evaluation showed that the cartilage structure in the joint of the control limbs was identical to that in the vitamin E- and TCA-injected limbs. In the hemarthrosis group, in comparison w ith the controls, the joint surface was roughened and fibrillated. In the superficial areas of the cartilage tissue, chondrocytes were decre ased in number These findings suggest that in this model, vitamin E an d TCA may be helpful in preventing the joint cartilage changes seen in hemarthrosis.