Use of the guinea pig myectomy osteoarthritis model in the examination of cartilage-synovium interactions.

Synovium enhances the release of proteoglycan from articular cartilage in organ culture. Biomechanical stress-induced hip osteoarthritis (OA) was produced in guinea pigs by extra-articular myectomy and tendotomy. Organ culture experiments of control or OA cartilage with control or OA synovium were assayed for proteoglycan release. OA cartilage released more proteoglycan than control cartilage when cultured with either control or OA synovium. No significant difference in the effect of control or OA synovium in stimulating proteoglycan release from OA cartilage was detected, but the difference between control and OA cartilage release was significant.