Treatment of canine osteoarthritis with insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and sodium pentosan polysulfate

Rogachefsky RA, Dean DD, Howell DS, Altman RD · Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

An early controlled structural test: PPS alone lowered Mankin histology scores and active neutral metalloproteinase in femoral condyle cartilage versus untreated OA dogs, and only the PPS-plus-IGF-1 combination brought cartilage anatomy and biochemistry close to normal. The authors read PPS's contribution as blocking proteinase activity so a growth factor could work.

Population

Dogs with cruciate-transection osteoarthritis, five groups including unoperated controls

Intervention

Intramuscular PPS alone or with intra-articular IGF-1, for 3 weeks starting 3 weeks after surgery

Comparator

Untreated operated dogs and unoperated dogs

Limitations

Surgically induced mild OA over six weeks, small groups, and no blinding described; the near-normal result belongs to the combination arm, not to PPS on its own.