Local Injection of Growth Hormone for Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis

• Published in: Yonsei medical journal Vol. 61; no. 4; pp. 331 - 340
• Main Authors: Ok, Soo-Min, Kim, Jin-Hwa, Kim, Ji-Su, Jeong, Eun-gyo, Park, Yang Mi, Jeon, Hye-Mi, Heo, Jun-Young, Ahn, Yong-Woo, Yu, Sun-Nyoung, Park, Hae Ryoun, Kim, Kyung-Hee, Ahn, Soon-Cheol, Jeong, Sung-Hee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Yonsei University College of Medicine 01.04.2020; 연세대학교의과대학
• Subjects: Aged; Animals; Cartilage, Articular - diagnostic imaging; Cartilage, Articular - pathology; Chondrocytes - drug effects; Growth Hormone - administration & dosage; Growth Hormone - adverse effects; Human Growth Hormone; Humans; Injections, Intra-Articular; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I - administration & dosage; Male; Original; Osteoarthritis - diagnostic imaging; Osteoarthritis - drug therapy; Osteoarthritis - pathology; Rats; Synovial Fluid; Temporomandibular Joint - diagnostic imaging; Temporomandibular Joint - drug effects; Temporomandibular Joint - physiopathology; X-Ray Microtomography; 의학일반; Growth hormone; intraarticular injection; temporomandibular joint; osteoarthritis
• ISSN: 0513-5796; 1976-2437; 1976-2437
• DOI: 10.3349/ymj.2020.61.4.331

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) elicits cartilage and subchondral bone defects. Growth hormone (GH) promotes chondrocyte growth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of intra-articular injections of GH to treat TMJ-OA. Monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) was used to induce OA in the TMJs of rats. After confirming the induction of OA, recombinant human GH was injected into the articular cavities of rats. Concentrations of GH and IGF-1 were measured in the blood and synovial fluid, and OA grades of cartilage and subchondral bone degradation were recorded by histological examination and micro-computed tomography. MIA-induced OA in the rat TMJ upregulated insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) rather than GH levels. GH and IGF-1 concentrations were increased after local injection of GH, compared with controls. Locally injected GH lowered osteoarthritic scores in the cartilage and subchondral bone of the TMJ. Intra-articular injection of GH improved OA scores in rat TMJs in both cartilage and subchondral bone of the condyles without affecting condylar bone growth. These results suggest that intra-articular injection of human GH could be a suitable treatment option for TMJ-OA patients in the future.