Animal experiments
DMM-induced OA mouse model was used in the animal experiments as
previously described 13. Thirty 12-week-old C57BL/6
mice were randomly divided into 3 groups. Mice in the OA group and the
OA+Empa group were anesthetized and the medial meniscus in their knee
joints was surgically removed while mice in the Sham group were
anesthetized and performed a sham operation. A week after surgery,
intra-articular injection of 5 μM empagliflozin was conducted once a
week in the OA+Empa group, and equal volume of vehicle was conducted in
the OA group and the Sham group. After 4 weeks of treatment, the mice
were sacrificed and the knee samples were harvested for histological
analysis. This study was performed in line with the principles of the
Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of
Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, People’s Hospital of Hangzhou
Medical College, Hangzhou, China.