Expression patterns of collagen types I and III in the capsule of a rat knee contracture model

Our objective was to determine the changes in expression of collagen types I and III in the capsule of a rat knee contracture model. The unilateral knee joints of adult male rats were rigidly immobilized at 150° of flexion using a rigid plastic plate and screws for 3 days, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks (immobilized group). Sham-operated animals had holes drilled in the femur and tibia with screws inserted without a plate (control group). The expression patterns of collagen types I and III in the anterior and posterior capsule were evaluated by in situ hybridization (ISH), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and Western blotting (WB). Expressions of collagen types I and III were decreased after immobilization compared to the control group by ISH and qPCR. The expression was not changed after immobilization compared to the control group by IHC and WB. The expression of mRNA and protein levels of collagen types I and III were not increased after immobilization, which indicated that accumulation of the two types of collagen was not the etiology of joint contracture. Another process, such as capsule and synovial adhesions, may be one possible cause of joint contracture.