COLLAGEN FIBRE ARCHITECTURE AND PROTEOGLYCAN DISTRIBUTION IN FEMALE KNEE MENISCI ACROSS REPRODUCTIVE AND POST-REPRODUCTIVE AGE GROUPS: A QUANTITATIVE HISTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

The structural integrity of the knee meniscus depends on the spatial organisation of its collagen fibre architecture and proteoglycan-rich ground substance. Agerelated deterioration of these components — particularly in women undergoing the perimenopausal hormonal transition — provides the mechanistic basis for the elevated knee osteoarthritis incidence in postmenopausal women. Quantitative histochemical data from Central Asian female populations are absent from the published literature. Objectives: To perform a quantitative histochemical analysis of collagen fibre architecture and proteoglycan distribution in female knee menisci across four age-defined groups spanning the reproductive and post-reproductive periods. Materials and Methods: Meniscal specimens from 98 women were obtained at the Branch of the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Centre of Traumatology and Orthopaedics (Khorezm Regional Multidisciplinary Medical Centre) and stratified into four groups: Group A (25–44 years, n=24), Group B (45–54 years, n=26), Group C (55–64 years, n=26), and Group D (65–76 years, n=22). Picrosirius Red staining with polarised light microscopy was used to quantify collagen fibre type and alignment