Abstract #0061

Elliott J, Tessier J, Bowyer J, Heapy C, Flannelly J, Maciewicz R, Pickford R

In a previous placebo-controlled trial in obese women with unilateral radiographic knee OA, doxycycline reduced joint space width assessed by x-radiography by 40% compared to placebo. It is thought that this effect may be mediated by reducing levels of metalloproteinases. In this study we explored the effect of doxycycline on cartilage volume loss in the guinea pig model of OA using high resolution 3D gradient echo MRI and we correlate the findings with the activities of MMPs. We found that doxycycline treatment reduces cartilage loss significantly and completely suppress the activity levels of MMP13 and MMP8.