Transcutaneous Treatment with Vetdrop® Sustains the Adjacent Cartilage in a Microfracturing Joint Defect Model in Sheep

Abstract

The significance of the adjacent cartilage in cartilage defect healing is not yet completely understood. Furthermore, it is unknown if the adjacent cartilage can somehow be influenced into responding after cartilage damage. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether the adjacent cartilage can be better sustained after microfracturing in a cartilage defect model in the stifle joint of sheep using a transcutaneous treatment concept (Vetdrop®).Carprofen and chito-oligosaccharids were added either as single components or as a mixture to a vehicle suspension consisting of a herbal carrier oil in a water-in-oil phase. This mixture was administered onto the skin with the aid of a specific applicator during 6 weeks in 28 sheep, allocated into 6 different groups, that underwent microfracturing surgery either on the left or the right medial femoral condyle. Two groups served as control and were either treated intravenously or sham treated with oxygen only. Sheep were sacrificed and their medial condyle histologically evaluated qualitatively and semi-quantitatively according to 4 different scoring systems (Mankin, ICRS, Little and O’Driscoll).The adjacent cartilage of animals of group 4 treated transcutaneously with vehicle, chito-oligosaccharids and carprofen had better histological scores compared to all the other groups (Mankin 3.3±0.8, ICRS 15.7±0.7, Little 9.0±1.4).Complete defect filling was absent from the transcutaneous treatment groups.The experiment suggests that the adjacent cartilage is susceptible to treatment and that the combination of vehicle, chitooligosaccharids and carprofen may sustain the adjacent cartilage during the recovery period.

Exploratory Assessment of Oxygen Flow–Assisted Cutaneous Administration of Methotrexate for Superficial Basal Cell Carcinoma, Mycosis Fungoides, and Extramammary Paget Disease

“…OFA-LP3 significantly increased the epidermal permeation compared with LP3 alone, as demonstrated by ultrasound cross-sections and tape stripping (Sidler et al, 2014(Sidler et al, , 2013.…”

Preliminary study on carprofen concentration measurements after transcutaneous treatment with Vetdrop® in a microfracture joint defect model in sheep

“…The study was conducted according to the Swiss legal requirements for animal protection and welfare (TschG 455) and received ethical approval by the federal veterinary authorities ‘Kantonale Tierversuchskommission Zürich’ (permission No 193/2009). It was part of a larger-scale project published and described elsewhere [ 16 ]. In brief, 28 sheep with a mean age of 2.5 ± 0.5 years and a body weight average of 59.4 ± 10.2 kg underwent microfracture surgery on the medial condyle either on the left or right stifle joint.…”

The Serum Protein Profile and Acute Phase Proteins in the Postoperative Period in Sheep after Induced Articular Cartilage Defect

“…Therefore, this joint may be considered by researchers who increasingly use sheep for studies on the replacement of cruciate ligaments, collateral ligaments and menisci, treatment of chondral and osteochondral defects, and osteoarthrosis [9]. The location of the cartilage defects in the ovine model has involved the medial femoral condyle and femoral trochlea as well, with a 7 mm reported critical size defect [10,11,12]. However, the selection of a suitable preclinical model for performance evaluation remains a challenge, as no gold standard exists to define the best animal model [8,13].…”