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Mineral Crystal Thickness in Calcified Cartilage and Subchondral Bone in Healthy and Osteoarthritic Human Knees

Finnilä, Mikko A J ; Das Gupta, Shuvashis ; Turunen, Mikael J LU ; Hellberg, Iida ; Turkiewicz, Aleksandra LU ; Lutz-Bueno, Viviane ; Folkesson, Elin ; Holler, Mirko ; Ali, Neserin LU orcid and Hughes, Velocity LU , et al. (2022) In Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 37(9). p.1700-1710
Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease, where articular cartilage degradation is often accompanied with sclerosis of the subchondral bone. However, the association between OA and tissue mineralization at the nanostructural level is currently not understood. In particular, it is technically challenging to study calcified cartilage, where relevant but poorly understood pathological processes such as tidemark multiplication and advancement occur. Here, we used state-of-the-art microfocus small-angle X-ray scattering with a 5-μm spatial resolution to determine the size and organization of the mineral crystals at the nanostructural level in human subchondral bone and calcified cartilage. Specimens with a wide spectrum of OA... (More)

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease, where articular cartilage degradation is often accompanied with sclerosis of the subchondral bone. However, the association between OA and tissue mineralization at the nanostructural level is currently not understood. In particular, it is technically challenging to study calcified cartilage, where relevant but poorly understood pathological processes such as tidemark multiplication and advancement occur. Here, we used state-of-the-art microfocus small-angle X-ray scattering with a 5-μm spatial resolution to determine the size and organization of the mineral crystals at the nanostructural level in human subchondral bone and calcified cartilage. Specimens with a wide spectrum of OA severities were acquired from both medial and lateral compartments of medial compartment knee OA patients (n = 15) and cadaver knees (n = 10). Opposing the common notion, we found that calcified cartilage has thicker and more mutually aligned mineral crystals than adjoining bone. In addition, we, for the first time, identified a well-defined layer of calcified cartilage associated with pathological tidemark multiplication, containing 0.32 nm thicker crystals compared to the rest of calcified cartilage. Finally, we found 0.2 nm thicker mineral crystals in both tissues of the lateral compartment in OA compared with healthy knees, indicating a loading-related disease process because the lateral compartment is typically less loaded in medial compartment knee OA. In summary, we report novel changes in mineral crystal thickness during OA. Our data suggest that unloading in the knee might be involved with the growth of mineral crystals, which is especially evident in the calcified cartilage.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
ANALYSIS/QUANTITATION OF BONE, BONE MODELING AND REMODELING, COLLAGEN, MATRIX MINERALIZATION, OSTEOARTHRITIS
in
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research
volume
37
issue
9
pages
11 pages
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85137949736
  • pmid:35770824
  • pmid:35770824
ISSN
1523-4681
DOI
10.1002/jbmr.4642
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
b6938e21-9273-47ca-b4b3-d9e73aecc958
date added to LUP
2022-07-23 18:04:20
date last changed
2024-06-13 18:05:39
@article{b6938e21-9273-47ca-b4b3-d9e73aecc958,
  abstract     = {{<p>Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease, where articular cartilage degradation is often accompanied with sclerosis of the subchondral bone. However, the association between OA and tissue mineralization at the nanostructural level is currently not understood. In particular, it is technically challenging to study calcified cartilage, where relevant but poorly understood pathological processes such as tidemark multiplication and advancement occur. Here, we used state-of-the-art microfocus small-angle X-ray scattering with a 5-μm spatial resolution to determine the size and organization of the mineral crystals at the nanostructural level in human subchondral bone and calcified cartilage. Specimens with a wide spectrum of OA severities were acquired from both medial and lateral compartments of medial compartment knee OA patients (n = 15) and cadaver knees (n = 10). Opposing the common notion, we found that calcified cartilage has thicker and more mutually aligned mineral crystals than adjoining bone. In addition, we, for the first time, identified a well-defined layer of calcified cartilage associated with pathological tidemark multiplication, containing 0.32 nm thicker crystals compared to the rest of calcified cartilage. Finally, we found 0.2 nm thicker mineral crystals in both tissues of the lateral compartment in OA compared with healthy knees, indicating a loading-related disease process because the lateral compartment is typically less loaded in medial compartment knee OA. In summary, we report novel changes in mineral crystal thickness during OA. Our data suggest that unloading in the knee might be involved with the growth of mineral crystals, which is especially evident in the calcified cartilage.</p>}},
  author       = {{Finnilä, Mikko A J and Das Gupta, Shuvashis and Turunen, Mikael J and Hellberg, Iida and Turkiewicz, Aleksandra and Lutz-Bueno, Viviane and Folkesson, Elin and Holler, Mirko and Ali, Neserin and Hughes, Velocity and Isaksson, Hanna and Tjörnstrand, Jon and Önnerfjord, Patrik and Guizar-Sicairos, Manuel and Saarakkala, Simo and Englund, Martin}},
  issn         = {{1523-4681}},
  keywords     = {{ANALYSIS/QUANTITATION OF BONE; BONE MODELING AND REMODELING; COLLAGEN; MATRIX MINERALIZATION; OSTEOARTHRITIS}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{9}},
  pages        = {{1700--1710}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Journal of Bone and Mineral Research}},
  title        = {{Mineral Crystal Thickness in Calcified Cartilage and Subchondral Bone in Healthy and Osteoarthritic Human Knees}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.4642}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/jbmr.4642}},
  volume       = {{37}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}