Changes in the number of white blood cells and non-specific markers of inflammation in the body of rabbits in experimental osteoarthritis of the knee joint

Abstract

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease in animals, which is not always treatable. Both in veterinary and in human medicine, laboratory research methods are used to effectively diagnose this pathology. The purpose of this study was to establish the dynamics of markers of the acute phase of inflammation in the blood using experimental modelling of knee osteoarthritis in rabbits. Artificial reproduction of the pathological process in the knee joints of animals was performed by intra-articular administration of Yellow peel 2*5 ml. The BC-2800Vet automatic haematology analyser (China) was used to calculate the number of white blood cells and their subpopulations in the blood. The content of C-reactive protein in blood serum was found using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The rate of erythrocyte sedimentation in the blood was investigated according to the Panchenkov method. Thus, on Day 7, a sharp increase in the number of white blood cells (2.7 times) and their subpopulations was noted in sick rabbits, which indicates an active inflammatory process of a systemic nature. On Day 14, their number in the blood of sick animals was characterized by a tendency to decrease, but it had not yet reached the values of the control group. On Days 21 and 28, all the indicators under study tended to decrease in sick animals. Specifically, the number of white blood cells and their subpopulations acquired reference values. The content of C-reactive protein significantly increased by 40.8 times in sick animals on Day 7 of the study and decreased by 1.7 times on Day 14 compared to its values at the previous stage. At the same time, on Day 28, this indicator increased by 19.3 times compared to the indicators of the control group of animals. The rate of erythrocyte sedimentation in the blood of sick rabbits significantly increased by 2.3 times compared to the control group. On Day 21, this indicator in the blood of sick rabbits decreased by 1.4 times compared to its values on Day 14 of the experiment. On the other hand, on Day 28, its value increased by 1.7 times compared to the control (4.3 mm/h). The results obtained will contribute to further targeted laboratory diagnostics of knee osteoarthritis in animals, which will ensure the proper effectiveness of therapeutic and preventive measures and improve their overall health