We look into the pathophysiology of cranial cruciate ligament disease in dogs. Our main interest is focused on the interaction between intraarticular structures and ligament homeostasis. Ligamentocytes are responsible to keep an equilibrium between matrix production and matrix degeneration. Mediators produced from articular tissues, for example inflammatory products from the fat pad, influence the activity of ligamentocytes and might be responsible for increased but controlled cell death in the ligament. Identifying such pathways allows ultimatively to evaluate novel treatment strategies to control chronic degenerative changes within the ligament.
