Abstract

Research Article

Anatomy and biomechanics of the rat knee ligaments

Zhe Song*, Xiang-Hua Deng, Scott Rodeo, Zoe M Album, Arielle Hall, Tina Chen, Brett Croen and Rodeo A Scott*

Published: 27 April, 2023 | Volume 8 - Issue 2 | Pages: 008-015

In this study, the authors systematically examined the anatomical and biomechanical properties of the ligaments in the normal rat knee. These biomechanical data will facilitate the use of the rat knee model for future studies of knee ligament injury, repair, and reconstruction. Fifty-six fresh cadaver male Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 16 weeks, were used for this study, with 48 rats for biomechanical testing and 8 for micro-CT and histological evaluation. Our findings suggest that the gross anatomy of the rat knee joint and ligaments is very similar to humans despite some minor differences and features unique to the rat knee. The patella tendon and ACL are the two strongest soft tissue structures in the rat knee joint, with the highest failure force and stiffness, and both play a role in the anterior stability of the knee. In comparison, the failure force and stiffness of the LCL is half of the MCL, suggesting that other structures, such as the popliteal tendon, may play some role in lateral knee stabilization besides the LCL. In addition, our data suggest that anterior knee stability was improved after ACL reconstruction, but was not fully restored to intact ACL function. In conclusion, our study indicates the anatomical and biomechanical properties of the knee joint and ligaments of rat knees. Then we could confirm a reproducible and realistic rat model of knee ligaments like the clinical cases, and provide a basis for the study of knee ligament biology that simulates techniques used in humans.

Read Full Article HTML DOI: 10.29328/journal.jsmt.1001065 Cite this Article Read Full Article PDF

Keywords:

Rat knee; Ligaments; Biomechanics; CT image

References

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