Evaluation of the therapeutic effect of alendronate in A experimental model of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis induced by monosodium iodoacetate in rats

Aim: TMJ osteoarthritis is a common degenerative joint disease today. The aim of our study is to evaluate the effect of intraarticular injection of alendronate, which has a protective effect on bone and cartilage tissue and helps reduce inflammation in TMJ osteoarthritis. Material and Method: A total of 24 Wistar Albino rats were used in the study. Rats were divided into 4 groups as study, saline, control and sham. The rats in the study, saline and control groups were injected intraarticularly by dissolving 1 mg of MIA in 40µl of saline to induce osteoarthritis on the first day of the experiment. From the end of the fourth week, 0.1 mg alendronate was dissolved in 0.02 ml saline and administered intraarticularly to the study group weekly for 4 weeks. In the saline group, the same dose and regimen of saline was administered by intraarticular injection. All procedures were performed bilaterally. At the end of the 12th week, all groups were sacrificed and the experiment was terminated. After sacrification, the mandibles of the rats were completely resected and removed. Mandibular condyle tissues were examined histopathologically. Results: According to the results of total osteoarthritis scoring, a significant difference was found between the study group and the control group (p<0.05). No significant difference was found between the saline group and the control group, and between the saline group and the study group (p>0.05). There was a significant difference between the sham group and all other groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: Intraarticular injection of alendronate was found to have positive results on TMJ osteoarthritis. In addition, it is seen that alendronate has effects on reducing cartilage tissue degeneration and loss of matrix proteins in osteoarthritis-induced joint surfaces.