Tuina Intervention in Rabbit Model of Knee Osteoarthritis

Summary

The protocol describes a method for Tuina intervention in a rabbit model of knee osteoarthritis.

Abstract

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is mainly characterized by degenerative changes in the knee joint's cartilage and surrounding soft tissues. The efficacy of Tuina in treating KOA has been confirmed, but the underlying mechanism needs to be investigated. This study aims to establish a scientifically feasible KOA rabbit model treated with Tuina to reveal the underlying mechanisms. For this, 18, 6-month-old normal-grade male New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into sham, model, and Tuina groups, with 6 rabbits in each group. The KOA model was established by injecting 4% papain solution into the knee joint cavity. The Tuina group was intervened with Tuina combined with the knee joint rotary correction method for 4 weeks. Only the standard grasping and fixation were performed in sham and model groups. At the end of the 1-week intervention, the knee joint range of motion (ROM) was observed, and cartilage hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was done. The study shows that Tuina could inhibit chondrocyte apoptosis, repair cartilage tissue, and restore knee joint ROM. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the scientific feasibility of Tuina treatment for KOA model rabbits, highlighting its potential application in the study of KOA and similar knee joint-related conditions.

Introduction

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a degenerative disease of the knee joint, mainly manifested by knee pain, swelling, deformation, and restricted movement, with a high disability rate and a higher prevalence in women, with 527.81 million patients with osteoarthritis worldwide in 2019 and its global prevalence accounting for 60.6% of the total global prevalence of OA¹. Clinically, the treatment of KOA is usually divided into non-surgical and surgical therapies. Non-surgical therapies include physiotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and platelet-rich plasma injection therapy^2,3. Tuina is a common, safe....

Protocol

The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (approval number: 2020-29).

1. Experimental animals

1. Raise 18, 6-month-old normal-grade male New Zealand rabbits (2.75 ± 0.25 kg) in standard single cages (12 h light/dark cycle, temperature 20-24 °C, air humidity 40%-60%).

2. Grouping method

1. Select 6 out of the 18 N.......

Discussion

The design of the experimental protocol is particularly important to investigate the mechanism of Tuina in treating KOA. KOA modeling was performed on rabbits by injection of papain at Waixiyan. Waixiyan is located in the lateral crypt of the patellar ligament, which is easy to locate, and the joint space between the femur and tibia is large here during knee flexion, which makes it easy to inject into the knee joint cavity and prevents damage to the surrounding tissues, so it is easy to establish the KOA model

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
0.9 % sodium chloride injection	Sichuan Keren Pharmaceutical Co.	Z22121903
-20°C refrigerator	Haier	BD-328WL
4 % fixative solution	Solarbio	P1110
4°C refrigerator	Haier	SC-315DS
Anhydrous ethanol	Sinopharm
Automatic tissue dewatering machine	Dakowei (Shenzhen) Medical Equipment Co.	HP30
Blast drying oven	Shanghai Yiheng Scientific Instruments Co.	DHG-9070A
Coverslip	Biyuntian	FCGF50
Electric thermostat water bath	Shanghai Yiheng Scientific Instruments Co.	HWS-26
Embedding freezing table	Changzhou Paishijie Medical Equipment Co.	BM450
Embedding machine	Changzhou Paishijie Medical Equipment Co.	BM450A
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid decalcification solution	Servicebio	G1105-500ML
Fluorescent inverted microscope	Leica	Leica DM IL LED
Hematoxylin-eosin staining kit	Cisco Jet	EE0012
Hydrochloric acid	Laiyang Economic and Technological Development Zone Fine Chemical Plant
Medical joint goniometer	KOSLO
Neutral gum	Cisco Jet	EE0013
Normal-grade male New Zealand rabbit	Jinan Xilingjiao Breeding and Breeding Center	SCXK (Lu) 2020 0004
Papain(3000 U/mg)	Bioss	D10366
Pathological tissue bleaching and drying instrument	Changzhou Paishijie Medical Equipment Co.	PH60
Pet electric clippers	Codos	CP-3180
Rabbit fixing box	any brand
Rotating Slicer	Leica	531CM-Y43
Tuina technique parameter determination instrument	Shanghai DuKang Instrument Equipment Co. Ltd.	ZTC-
Ventilator	TALY ELECTRIC	C32
Xylene	Fuyu Reagent