Chitosan-Hyaluronate Hybrid Gel Intraarticular Injection Delays Osteoarthritis Progression and Reduces Pain in a Rat Meniscectomy Model as Compared to Saline and Hyaluronate Treatment
Figure 1
(a) rat knees following medial meniscectomy. Cartilage thickness is higher in the chitosan-hyaluronate-hybrid gel-treated knee than in the hyaluronate-treated knee. (b) environmental scanning electron microscopy seems to indicate that the hybrid gel has an internal structure. The authors hypothesize that the larger hyaluronate molecules (bright lines) appear to chaperon and organize the smaller chitosan molecules. (c) subcutaneous injection in rats does not evoke an inflammatory response macroscopically. The gel forms a discrete nodule (arrow head). This contrasts with the often observed intense inflammatory reaction previously reported with chitosan injection. The difference seems to be related to the method of preparation of the gel and its specific components. Histologically, the gel nodule (red) is surrounded by minimal fibrous capsule without inflammatory cells aggregation (original magnification ×10, Safranin red stain).
