Objective: Collagen peptides have recently been shown to have several biological activities, and have been used as preservatives and immunotherapeutic agents. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of weekly intra-articular injections of collagen tripeptide (Ctp) to prevent knee osteoarthritis (OA) compared with sodium hyaluronan (HA).
Methods: Thirty rabbits with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) transection were randomly divided into three groups: Ctp, HA, and saline (control). All animals were administered the same amount of each reagent once weekly. Articular cartilages of the medial condyle of femur were examined by gross morphological and histopathological examination conducted at 5 (n=6) and 10 (n=4) weeks.
Results: The Ctp and HA injection groups tended to have improved gross morphological scores and exhibited preventive effects compared with control groups at 10 weeks after ACL transection. But the scores were not significantly different among the 3 groups. The overall means of histological grading scores were not significantly different among the 3 groups however, the score for the Ctp group had improved from 5 weeks to 10 weeks.
Conclusions: Intra-articular injections of Ctp may inhibit progression of knee OA, and further examination is needed to clarify the physical characteristics and regenerative functions of Ctp, and to determine the optimal dose and duration of Ctp injection therapy for the knee OA.