Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by inflammation, cartilage breakdown, disability. This study aimed to evaluate compare the protective effects of avocado/soybean oils (ASU), glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate (GS/CS) in reference with etoricoxib, methotrexate (MTX) in a rat model of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced OA. Methods: OA was induced in 42 male rats by intra-articular injection of MIA (3 mg). Animals were randomized into 7 groups (n = 6 each): group 1 (saline 50 µL intra-articular), group 2 (olive oil 0.3 mL/100 g/day orally), OA group (MIA 3 mg), OA+etoricoxib group (5.4 mg/kg/day orally), OA+ASU group (27 mg/kg/day orally), OA+GS/CS group (135 mg/kg/day orally), OA+MTX group (3 mg/kg/week orally). After 4 weeks of treatment, the serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), synovial extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1 (ERK1), and histopathological grading were assessed.. Results: MIA injection produced significant elevations in the ERK1, IL-1β, TNF-α, and NF-κB, accompanied by severe histopathological damage compared to controls. All therapeutic interventions significantly reduced pro-inflammatory mediators and improved histological scores compared to the untreated OA group. Etoricoxib reduced cytokine levels and ERK1 with moderate histological improvement. ASU markedly suppressed inflammatory markers and provided the greatest structural cartilage protection. GS/CS produced significant, but comparatively less, reductions in biochemical markers and histological grading scores. Conclusion: These findings highlight that OA progression is driven by ERK1 activation and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Both pharmacological and nutraceutical interventions mitigated disease activity, with MTX showing the strongest anti-inflammatory effect and ASU demonstrating the greatest cartilage preservation, suggesting complementary therapeutic potential.
Mohamed et al. (2025) studied this question.