Comparison of the effects of steroid, aspirin and sodium salicylate on articular cartilage.

Rabbit knee joints were compressed to produce cartilage degeneration in control and test animals who received intramuscular injections of prednisolone and aspirin or sodium salicylate by gavage. After three weeks of compression, animals were sacrificed and articular cartilage was analyzed grossly and histologically. Gross and histological specimens from salicylate treated animals showed less while the steroid treated rabbits showed more degenerative change. These data suggest that salicylate inhibits cartilage destruction while steroids enhance it.