Destabilization of Medial Meniscus (DMM) Surgery
Objective: Surgical induction of osteoarthritis through destabilization of the medial meniscus in the left knee joint of mice to study OA progression at multiple timepoints
This is a Destabilization of Medial Meniscus (DMM) Surgery protocol using mouse as the model organism. The procedure involves 8 procedural steps, 2 equipment items, 4 materials. Extracted from a 2018 paper published in Scientific Reports.
Model and subjects
mouse • C57/Bl6 wild type • unknown • 12 weeks at time of surgery • not specified • 38
Study window
~12 week study window | ~4 hours hands-on
Core workflow
Animal housing and acclimation • Group assignment • Surgical procedure
Primary readouts
- Osteoarthritis progression at 2, 5, and 10 weeks post-surgery
- Comparison between DMM and SHAM surgical groups
Key equipment and reagents
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Protocol Steps
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Animal housing and acclimation
House all mice on a 12-hour light/dark cycle with unrestricted access to standard mouse food and water
Note: Mice were 12 weeks of age at time of surgery
View evidence from paper
“All mice were housed on a 12-hour light/dark cycle with unrestricted access to standard mouse food and water”
Group assignment
Randomly designate mice into 2 groups: DMM and SHAM, with three termination timepoints (2, 5, and 10 weeks post-surgery)
Note: C57/Bl6 wild type mice used
View evidence from paper
“C57/Bl6 wild type mice were randomly designated into 2 groups: DMM and SHAM, and three termination time-points (2, 5 and 10 weeks post-surgery)”
Surgical procedure
Perform DMM or sham surgery on the left knee joint of mice as previously described
Note: Surgery performed when mice were 12 weeks of age. References citations 20 and 21 for detailed surgical procedure
View evidence from paper
“Surgery was performed on the left knee joint of mice as previously described 20, 21”
Post-operative antibiotic administration
Inject Amoxicillin subcutaneously immediately after surgery to prevent joint infection
Note: Dose: 20 mg/kg. Manufacturer: Novopharm, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
View evidence from paper
“A single dose of Amoxicillin (Novopharm, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) was injected subcutaneously right after the surgery to prevent joint infection (20 mg/kg)”
Post-operative analgesia administration
Administer Buprenorphine subcutaneously at 0 and 4 hours after surgery to minimize pain
Note: Dose: 0.05 mg/kg per injection. Manufacturer: Schering-Plough, Herfordshire, UK
View evidence from paper
“Buprenorphine (Schering-Plough, Herfordshire, UK) was administered twice (0 and 4 hours after surgery) subcutaneously to minimized pain (0.05 mg/kg)”
Post-operative housing
House mice in colony cages after surgery with up to 6 mice per cage
Note: Mice housed in groups of up to 6 per cage
View evidence from paper
“Mice were housed in colony cage after the surgery (up to 6 mice in one cage)”
Exercise wheel placement
Place running wheels in cages 2 days after surgery to encourage exercise
Note: Wheels remain in cages for duration of post-operative period
View evidence from paper
“running wheels were put in two days after the surgery to encourage exercise”
Termination and analysis
Terminate mice at designated timepoints (2, 5, or 10 weeks post-surgery) for analysis
Note: Exclude mice that had dislocated patella after surgery from analysis
View evidence from paper
“three termination time-points (2, 5 and 10 weeks post-surgery). Excluding the mice that had dislocated patella after surgery”