A Murine Model of Abductor Insufficiency Accelerates the Development of Hip Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip is a common and debilitating painful joint disease. A growing body of evidence suggests that there may be an association between periarticular myotendinous pathology and the development of hip OA. Thus, we hypothesized that a murine model of hip OA could be achieved through selective injury of the abductor complex around the hip. C57BL6/J mice were randomized to sham surgery or abductor injury, in which the myotendinous insertion at the third trochanter and greater trochanter were surgically detached. Mice were allowed free, active movement until sacrifice at either 3 weeks or 20 weeks post-injury. Histologic analyses and immunohistochemical staining (IHC) of the femoral head articular cartilage were performed, along with CT analysis to assess subchondral bone remodeling. We observed that mice receiving abductor injury exhibited significant OA severity with loss of Type II Collagen staining compared to sham control mice at 20 weeks post-surgery, comparable MMPI13 expression was observed between injury and sham groups. No significant differences in subchondral bone were found on CT after 20 weeks following injury. Our study suggests a link between abductor dysfunction and the development of hip OA, which are common pathomorphologies encountered in routine orthopaedic clinical practice. Further, this novel animal model may provide a valuable tool for future investigations into the pathogenesis and treatment of hip OA.