The Role of Subchondral Bone Remodeling in Osteoarthritis: Alendronate Reducescartilage Degeneration and Prevents Osteophyte Formation in the Rat Anterior Cruciateligament Transection Model

Introduction Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by articular cartilage degradation, subchondral bone sclerosis and osteophyte formation. Recent studies have demonstrated that an increase in subchondral bone turnover is accompanied by specific architectural changes in the trabecular bone in OA joints. Furthermore, epidemiological studies have demonstrated positive correlation between subchondral bone sclerosis and OA progression. These observations suggested a role for subchondral bone changes in the initiation and/or progression of OA, raising the possibility that early intervention that reduces subchondral bone remodeling might retard the progressive loss of articular cartilage. To investigate the potential contribution of bone turnover to OA progression, we evaluated the effect of Alendronate (ALN), a potent bone resorption inhibitor, on cartilage degradation and periarticular bone changes in the rat anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) model of OA.