Osteoarthritis in cynomolgus macaques. III: Effects of age, gender, and subchondral bone thickness on the severity of disease.

Knee joints from cynomolgus monkeys of both genders and a wide range of ages were examined to characterize further the natural history of osteoarthritis (OA) in these animals. The objectives of this study were to characterize better the subchondral bone changes previously noted in this disease, to determine whether the severity of OA in these animals is affected by age or weight, and to determine whether males and females are affected similarly. As had been seen in previous studies, the medial tibial plateau was the most severely affected site. The thickness of the subchondral plate in the medial tibial plateau increased with increasing severity of articular cartilage lesions in both males and females; however, in monkeys with subchondral plate thicknesses less than 400 microns, articular cartilage lesions were essentially absent. Subchondral plate thickness increased with increasing weight in both genders, but females had a higher subchondral plate thickness than males for a given body weight. There was no correlation between bone volume in the proximal tibial epiphysis and articular cartilage lesions of OA. The prevalence and severity of OA in the medial tibial plateau increased with increasing age, but were not affected by gender or weight. Although there was no correlation between articular cartilage lesions and body mass index or weight, the waist/hip circumference ratio and severity of articular cartilage lesions were correlated in the female monkeys. This work provides evidence that thickening of the subchondral bone plate may be more important than the volume of epiphyseal/metaphyseal cancellous bone in determining the biomechanical stresses in the joint and in influencing the development of articular cartilage lesions.