Meniscal Ossicles as micro-CT Imaging Biomarker in a Rodent Model of Antigen-Induced Arthritis: a Synchrotron-Based X-ray Pilot Study

Abstract

It is increasingly recognized that early detection of bone erosion plays an important role in the overall evaluation of rheumatoid arthritis and in the choice of the correct treatment approach. Since an appropriate use of imaging biomarkers in preclinical settings offers the prospect of smaller and optimized sample size, in the present study we define an anatomical imaging biomarker that could be objectively measured from micro-CT imaging data as an indicator of bone erosion in arthritis process. The well-characterized antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) model in rats was used. The animals were divided into 2 groups: arthritic disease control and arthritic having been administrated with the tumor necrosis factor alpha-blocking agent (Humira). Rats were sacrificed in the acute phase of AIA; peripheral blood and synovial tissue were collected for assessment of arthritis. Ex vivo micro-CT tomography of knee joints was performed at the Elettra synchrotron light source (Trieste, Italy). Overall, results from this study suggest that use of high-resolution micro-CT analysis coupled with meniscal ossicles bone parameters quantification provide a powerful combination to enhance data interpretation and assessment of disease-modifying drugs in an animal model of arthritis.

Morphology of the stifle in agouti (Dasyprocta prymnolopha, Wagler 1831)

“…Although both menisci are approximately semilunar in shape, the central projections of the medial meniscus of the agouti cover a larger This format may justify the high stability of the agouti stifle, since so far no reports of congenital or traumatic patellofemoral disorders have been found in this species. Another characteristic identified in the agouti patella is the presence of the lunules, which are ossifications developed within the meniscus (Regnault, Hutchinson, & Jones, 2017), commonly found in mammals (Amador, Giannini, Simmons, & Abdala, 2018) other rodents (Araújo et al, 2013;Donato et al, 2017).…”

Targeting CD34+ cells of the inflamed synovial endothelium by guided nanoparticles for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

“…The immunization was performed with two intradermic injections (the second one after one week) of 150 μg of mBSA (Sigma) in a 0.9% NaCl physiologic solution and emulsified with 200 μL of complete Freund adjuvant (CFA) (Sigma). Fourteen days after the second immunization, inflammation was induced by injecting 100 μg of mBSA (diluted in 100 μL of physiologic solution) in the intraarticular right knee of the rats [25]. The contralateral knee joint was injected with physiological solution as a control.…”

Low-level cyclic tibial compression attenuates early osteoarthritis progression after joint injury in mice

“…The volume of interest (VOI) included all positive signal in the medial joint space, excluding the fabella. We assessed meniscus volume and density 41 .…”