Pharmacological options for treating osteoarthritis (OA) are limited and alternative treatments are required. Given the clinical data indicating that granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) may be a therapeutic target in human OA, we evaluated different treatment regimens with a neutralizing anti-GM-CSF monoclonal antibody (mAb) in an experimental OA model to determine their effectiveness on amelioration of pain and disease.

The collagenase-induced osteoarthritis (CiOA) model was induced in C57BL/6 mice, followed by different treatment regimens of anti-GM-CSF mAb or isotype control. Anti-CCL17 mAb treatment was also administered continually during the late stage of CiOA. Pain-related behavior (change in weight distribution of hind limbs), and disease (cartilage damage and osteophyte size) were assessed.

Blocking GM-CSF only during early synovitis in CiOA prevented pain and disease development. Once OA pain was established, regardless of the treatment regimen, anti-GM-CSF mAb treatment rapidly and efficiently ameliorated it; however, unless the treatment was continued, pain returned and disease progressed. Continual late stage blockade of GM-CSF was able to ameliorate pain (between-group difference: −6.567; 95% confidence interval (CI): −10.12, −3.011) and suppress cartilage damage (P = 0.0317, 95% CI: −1.75, −0.0556). Continual late stage blockade of CCL17 showed similar effects on pain and disease development.

Early and short-term GM-CSF neutralization is effective at preventing CiOA pain and disease development but, once pain is evident, continual GM-CSF blockade is required to prevent pain from returning and to suppress disease progression in mice. These data reinforce the potential benefits of anti-GM-CSF (and anti-CCL17) mAb therapy in OA and should inform further clinical trials.