Serum keratan sulfate levels in rabbits with experimentally induced osteoarthritis.

Serum keratan sulfate (KS) levels were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using monoclonal antibody (MAb) 5-D-4 (anti-KS) in a rabbit model of osteoarthritis (OA) induced by partial meniscectomy. The partial medial meniscectomy produced pathologic changes of OA in the joints of the rabbits, which were seen when the animals were killed at 3, 6, 9, or 12 weeks postsurgery. Tibial or femoral osteophytes were seen in up to 90% of the operated joints; pitting and ulceration of medial femoral condyles were also frequently noted (77% of cases). Rabbits that underwent sham surgery, back-skin-operated rabbits, or nonoperated normal rabbits served as controls; the joints of these animals were normal at the time of killing. A rise in the level of serum KS was recorded in 50% of rabbits following partial meniscectomy, but this was matched by similar changes in the control groups. The mean serum KS level of the OA animals at serial intervals (3, 6, 9, or 12 weeks) following surgery was not significantly different from that in the control groups. When measured with a second MAb, 2-D-3, KS levels showed similar trends as with MAb 5-D-4, although lower assay values were obtained. These findings indicate that experimentally induced OA in rabbits is not associated with a significant rise in serum KS levels. KS levels did not differentiate OA from non-OA animals, nor did they parallel disease progression.