3D visualization and pathological characteristics of cartilage and subchondral bone changes in the lumbar facet joint of an Ovariectomized mouse model

Publication date: Available online 13 July 2017
Source:The Spine Journal
Author(s): Yong Cao, Shuangfei Ni, Tianding Wu, Chunyue Duan, Shenghui Liao, Jianzhong Hu
Backgroud ContextLow back pain (LBP) is more prevalent among postmenopausal women than men. Ovariectomy (OVX) is an established animal model that mimics the estrogen deficiency of postmenopausal women. Little is known about the morphological properties of cartilage and subchondral bone changes in the lumbar facet joint (LFJ) of an OVX mouse model.PurposeThe purpose of this study is to characterize the morphological change of cartilage and subchondral bone in LFJ of an OVX mouse model.Study DesignThe 3D visualization and histological study on degenerative changes in cartilage and subchondral bone in the lumbar facet joint of an OVX mouse model was conducted.MethodsOvarectomy is performed to mimic postmenopausal changes in adult female mice. we present an imaging tool to 3D visualize the pathological characteristics of cartilage and subchondral bone changes LFJ degradation using propagation-based phase-contrast computed tomography (PPCT). The samples were further dissected, fixed, and stained for histological examination.ResultsPPCT imaging provides a 3D visualization of altered cartilage with a simultaneous high detail of the subchondral bone abnormalities in an OVX LFJ model. A quantitative analysis demonstrated that the cartilage volume, surface area and thickness were decreased in the OVX group compared to the control group (p<0.05). Meanwhile, these decreases were accompanied by an obvious destruction of the subchondral bone surface and a loss of trabecular bone in the OVX group (p<0.05). The delineation of the 3D pathological changes in the PPCT imaging was confirmed by a histopathological method with Saf O staining. In addition, increased Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) ingrowth in the subchondral bone was observed in the OVX group compared with the control group.ConclusionsThese results demonstrated that a mouse model of OVX-induced LFJ osteoarthritis (OA)-like changes were successfully established and showed a good resemblance to the human OA pathology. PPCT has great potential to become a powerful method to comprehensively characterize LFJ OA and to effectively monitor therapeutics. Moreover, degenerative LFJ possessed an increased nerve ingrowth in the subchondral bone area, may be a source of postmenopausal LBP and was potential to be a novel therapeutic target for LBP treatment.



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