Structural Assessment of Femorotibiopatellar Articular Cartilage in the Early Stage of Induced Osteoarthritis in Rabbits Treated with Stanozolol

This study evaluated the therapeutic effects of intra-articular stanozolol on the cartilage of the femorotibiopatellar joint in rabbits with induced and early-stage osteoarthritis (OA). A total of 12 rabbits were allocated to two groups—treatment (stanozolol) and control (saline)—and subjected to OA induction via transection of the cranial cruciate ligament of the femorotibiopatellar joint. After 4 weeks of intra-articular treatment, the animals were euthanized and the articular cartilage was assessed anatomopathologically. No differences were observed between the treatment and control groups (p > 0.05), indicating that stanozolol did not affect the progression of cartilage damage in early stage of osteoarthritis. The medial femoral condyle was the site of the most severe cartilage damage within the femorotibiopatellar joint. Femoral cartilage exhibited greater macroscopic damage than tibial cartilage. It was concluded that intra-articular stanozolol administration in rabbits with induced OA does not produce therapeutic effect on femorotibiopatellar joint cartilage in the short term or during the early stage of the disease.