28Feb 2014

Effect of High Altitude Hypoxia on the Knee Menisci of Rat

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BACKGROUND: Hypoxia is acondition in which the percentage saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen is decreased in blood. The body functions are suppressed at high altitude (1,500 to 3,500 meters ), resulting in diminished inspiratory oxygen pressure and decline arterial oxygen saturation leading to increase in the ventilation, heartbeat, blood pressure, and decreased exercise performance. The knee menisci are wedge-shaped semilunar structures that lie between the femur and tibia and function to transmit and distribute load and it have both fibrous and cartilaginous tissues. Damage to the meniscus is common and disruption of tissue structure and function result in erosion of the underlying articular cartilage. The healing process of meniscal damage depending on the degree of vascularity so the periphery meniscal damage spontaneous heal, but damage of the inner region is poor to heal. This work is designed to report the structural alteration of the knee menisci of the rat under effect of the high altitude hypoxia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty healthy young male albino rats, having average weight of 200 grams for each, were used in this study. The rats were dividing into four groups (10 rats for each). The control group was kept in normal environment for one month, the second, third and fours groups admitted in high altitude environment for ten days, twenty days and one month respectively. At the end of the above periods the blood gases were investigated and the knee menisci were dissected and prepared for light and scanning electron microscopic examination. Results: The knee menisci were affected by the high altitude hypoxia, where the chondrocytes atrophy with pyknotic nuclei and shrunken cytoplasm, disorganization of the collagenous fibers and areas of degeneration. Also In our work the direct measurement of oxygen Pressure (PO2) values in the blood were reveled significant decline. Key Words: high altitude hypoxia and knee menisci.


[Sobhy H .A. Ewis (2014); Effect of High Altitude Hypoxia on the Knee Menisci of Rat Int. J. of Adv. Res. 2 (Feb). 0] (ISSN 2320-5407). www.journalijar.com


Sobhy Hassan Aly Ewis