To investigate the efficacy of S-methylisothiourea (SMT) for treatment of temporomandibular joint osteoarthrosis (TMJOA) of goats.
Nine purebred black goats were randomly devided into three groups: Normal control group, control group and experimental group. The upper compartments of both temporomandibular joint of the goats in control group and experimental group were injected with collagenase only once to induce osteoarthrosis. Normal control group received no treatment. The upper compartments of both TMJ were injected with 0.5 mL of normal saline, and experimental group, the upper compartments of both TMJ were injected with 0.5 mL of SMT. The TMJ of goats was examined with scanning electron microscopy and microscopy after sacrificed.
Examined in light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, normal control group showed normal performance, the control group showed severe osteoarthrotic changes in the temporal surface, disk and condyle, while the experimental group showed improvement of different degree.
On the basis of 3-month following-up study, repeated intra-articular injection of SMT may play a role in inhibiting TMJOA progression.