Structural Assessment of Femorotibiopatellar Articular Cartilage in the Early Stage of Induced Osteoarthritis in Rabbits Treated with Stanozolol.

Intra-articular stanozolol does not provide chondroprotective benefit in early-stage osteoarthritis in rabbits.

This study investigated the therapeutic potential of intra-articular stanozolol, an anabolic androgenic steroid with reported anti-inflammatory and chondroprotective properties, on articular cartilage in a rabbit model of early-stage osteoarthritis (OA). Twelve rabbits underwent cranial cruciate ligament transection to induce OA in the femorotibiopatellar joint and were divided into two equal groups receiving either intra-articular stanozolol or saline (control) over four weeks. Anatomopathological assessment of articular cartilage was performed following euthanasia. Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences between the treatment and control groups, indicating that stanozolol failed to attenuate cartilage damage progression during the early stage of OA. Notably, the medial femoral condyle demonstrated the most severe cartilage damage within the joint, and femoral cartilage exhibited greater macroscopic deterioration compared to tibial cartilage, consistent with known biomechanical load distribution patterns in the femorotibiopatellar joint. The study's limitations include the small sample size (n=12), short treatment duration (4 weeks), and restriction to early-stage disease evaluation, which may have precluded detection of longer-term or stage-dependent effects. These findings suggest that intra-articular stanozolol does not provide short-term chondroprotective benefit in early OA and does not support its clinical use for this indication in rabbits. Further research with larger sample sizes, extended treatment periods, and evaluation across multiple disease stages would be necessary to comprehensively assess stanozolol's role in OA management.

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