Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis Model

TMJ-OA was induced by unilateral partial discectomy following Xu et al. (2009). Seven-week-old, male c57 BL/6 mice were anesthetized with ketamine (100 mg/kg) and xylazine (5 mg/kg). The skin over the TMJ was shaved and cleaned with 70% ethanol and betadine. A 1 mm incision was made over the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), the lateral capsule was exposed, the articular disc excised, the joint was irrigated, and closed with 5–0 Ethilon suture. Sham control surgeries were identical except the lateral capsule and disc remained intact. Experimental endpoints included four time points: 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks post-surgical, and data are compared with 16-week sham and age matched non-surgical control mice. All experiments using vertebrate animals were approved by the University of Illinois at Chicago Animal Care Committee and performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations.