Reduced subchondral bone mass and increased remodeling are associated with early stage OA. However, the direct effect of low subchondral bone mass on the risk and severity of OA development is unclear. We sought to determine the role of low bone mass resulting from a bone-specific loss of estrogen signaling in load-induced OA development using female osteoblast-specific estrogen receptor-alpha knockout (pOC-ERαKO) mice.
Osteoarthritis was induced by cyclic mechanical loading applied to the left tibia of 26-week-old female pOC-ERαKO and littermate control mice at peak loads of 6.5N, 7N, or 9N for 2 weeks. Cartilage damage and thickness, osteophyte development, and joint capsule fibrosis were assessed from histological sections. Subchondral bone morphology was analyzed by microCT. The correlation between OA severity and intrinsic bone parameters was determined.
The loss of ERα in bone resulted in an osteopenic subchondral bone phenotype, but did not directly affect cartilage health. Following two weeks of cyclic tibial loading to induce OA pathology, pOC-ERαKO mice developed more severe cartilage damage, larger osteophytes, and greater joint capsule fibrosis compared to littermate controls. Intrinsic bone parameters negatively correlated with measures of OA severity in loaded limbs.
Subchondral bone osteopenia resulting from bone-specific loss of estrogen signaling was associated with increased severity of load-induced OA pathology, suggesting that reduced subchondral bone mass directly exacerbates load-induced OA development. Bone-specific changes associated with estrogen loss may contribute to the increased incidence of OA in post-menopausal women.