Prevention Of Post-traumatic Osteoarthritis By Administration Of Intra-articular Anti-vegf Antibody (bevacizumab)

Introduction: Angiogenesis is an important factor in the development of osteoarthritis (OA). Angiogenesis also results in innervation of the articular cartilage (1), which may provide the possible source of pain in OA patients. We reported previously that intravenous administration of bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal anti-VEGF antibody, contributes to the repair of articular cartilage in an osteochondral defect model (2) and anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) model (3). While bevacizumab is a very attractive target for the treatment of neovascular disease, several complications in its intravenous (systemic) administration have been reported, including gastrointestinal hemorrhage, thromboembolism, and delayed wound healing (4). The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of intra-articular (local) administration of bevacizumab in post-traumatic OA using a rabbit model of ACLT.