Experimentally induced cartilage degeneration treated by pulsed electromagnetic field stimulation; an in vitro study on bovine cartilage

Table 2 Median values (minimum and maximum values) of O’Driscoll modified score parameters in cartilage explants

Experimental time	O’driscoll score parameters	CTR	IL1β	PEMF	IL1β + PEMF
24 h	Safranin-O staining	2 (2–3)	1 (1–2)**	3 (2–3)	2 (2–2)^§
	Surface regularity	2 (2–3)	1 (1–2)**	3 (3–3)	2 (2–2)
	Chondrocyte clustering	2 (1–2)	0.5 (0–1)**	2 (2–2)	1 (1–2)
	Cellularity	2 (2–3)	1 (1–1)**	3 (2–3)	2 (1–2)^§§
7 days	Safranin-O staining	1 (1–2)	0 (0–1)	3 (2–3)°°	1 (1–2)^§
	Surface regularity	2 (1–3)	1 (0–1)**	3 (2–3)	1 (1–2)
	Chondrocyte clustering	1 (1–1)	0 (0–1)**^,a	2 (1–2)°°	1 (1–2)^§
	Cellularity	2 (1–2)	1 (0–1)**	2 (2–3)	1 (1–2)
21 days	Safranin-O staining	1 (1–2)	0 (0–1)	2 (2–2)°	1 (1–1)^§§
	Surface regularity	2 (1–2)	1 (1–1)**	2 (2–2)	2 (1–2)^{§§, b}
	Chondrocyte clustering	1 (1–1)	0 (0–0)*	1 (1–1)^b	1 (1–2)^§
	Cellularity	1 (1–1)	0 (0–1)**^,a	1.5 (1–2)	1 (1–1)^§§

Control (CTR), exposed to PEMF (PEMF), treated with IL1β (IL1β) or treated with IL1β and stimulated with PEMF (IL1β + PEMF) explants. 24 h, 7 and 21 days (n = 6)
Mann-Whitney U test: - Within each experimental time: IL1β versus CTR (*, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.005); PEMF versus CTR (°, p < 0.05; °°, p < 0.005); IL1β + PEMF versus IL1β (§, p < 0.05; §§, p < 0.005); Within each group: 7 days versus 24 h (^a, p < 0.05); 21 days versus 7 days (^a, p < 0.05; ^b, p < 0.005)

ISSN: 1471-2474