Table 1 Comparison between experimental groups of the different scores for microscopic grading of cartilage and synovial alterations, obtained from decalcified samples

CONTROL

CTRL

CTRL + GS

CTRL + RS

CTRL + GS&RS

Median (25, 75)

Median (25, 75)

Median (25, 75)

Median (25, 75)

Microscopic grading of cartilage alterations

Severity of cartilage pathology

0 (0, 0.5) ^e,f,g

0 (0, 0) ^c,e,f,g

0 (0, 0.5) ^b,e,f,g

0 (0, 1) ^e,f,g

Severity of chondrocyte pathology

0 (0, 1)

0.5 (0, 1.25)

0 (0, 1)

0.5 (0, 1)

Severity of proteoglycan pathology

0 (0, 0)

0.5 (0, 1)

0 (0, 0)

0 (0, 0)

Tidemark integrity

1 (0.75, 2)

0.5 (0, 1)

1 (0, 1)

1 (1, 1)

Microscopic grading of synovial changes

Lining cells characteristics

0 (0, 0) ^e,f,h

0 (0, 0) ^e,f,h

0 (0, 0) ^e,f,h

0 (0, 0) ^e,f,h

Presence of hyperplasia

0 (0, 0) ^e,f,g,h

0 (0, 1) ^e,f,h

0 (0, 0) ^e,f,g,h

0 (0, 0) ^e,f,g,h

Cell infiltration characteristics

0 (0, 0) ^e,f,g

0 (0, 0) ^e,g

0 (0, 0) ^e,f

0 (0, 0) ^e,f

OSTEOARTHRITIS

OA

OA + GS

OA + RS

OA + GS&RS

median (25, 75)

median (25, 75)

median (25, 75)

median (25, 75)

Microscopic grading of cartilage alterations

Severity of cartilage pathology

1 (0.5, 1.5) ^a,b,c,d,h

1 (1, 2) ^a,b,c,d,h

1 (0.5, 1.5) ^a,b,c,d,h

0 (0, 0.625) ^e,f,g

Severity of chondrocyte pathology

1 (0.5, 1.75)

1 (1, 3)

1 (0.5, 1.5)

1 (0, 1.125)

Severity of proteoglycan pathology

1 (0, 2)

1 (0.5, 3)

1 (0, 2.75)

3 (0.75, 4)

Tidemark integrity

0 (0, 1.5)

0 (0, 0)

1 (1, 1)

1 (0.25, 1)

Microscopic grading of synovial changes

Lining cells characteristics

1 (1, 1) ^a,b,c,d,g,h

1 (0, 2) ^a,b,c,d,g,h

0 (0, 0.25) ^e,f

0 (0, 0.625) ^a,b,c,d,e,f

Presence of hyperplasia

1 (1, 1.75) ^{a,b,c,d,f,g,h}

1.5 (1, 2) ^{a,b,c,d,e,g,h}

0.5 (0, 1) ^a,c,d,e,f

1 (0, 1) ^a,b,c,d,e,f

Cell infiltration characteristics

1 (0.25, 1) ^a,b,c,d,h

0.75 (0, 1) ^a,b,c,d,g,h

0 (0, 0.25) ^a,f

0 (0, 0.25) ^e,f