Data Integration Reveals the Potential Biomarkers of Circulating MicroRNAs in Osteoarthritis

Circulating Copper Is Associated with Inflammatory Biomarkers in Greek Older Adults with Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, that causes a significant decrease in the quality of life of the afflicted and constitutes a great burden for the socioeconomic system. Trace elements and heavy metals are implicated in the pathophysiology of OA, exacerbating inflammatory and oxidative stress responses. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to quantify metals in plasma samples of Greek OA patients and explore their link with disease related parameters, health status or quality of life, as well as epigenetic OA markers. This is the first study on plasma metal levels in Greek knee OA patients. To achieve precision in plasma metal and miRNA measurements, high-quality samples were selected from a subset of 34 participants (NCT04783792). Demographic, quality of life, clinical, biochemical, inflammation, oxidative stress, and anthropometric parameters, as well as microRNA levels were assessed. Significant correlations were found between circulating metals with OA related parameters or with measured microRNAs. Also, significant positive associations between plasma copper (Cu) levels and CRP (p = 0.033) or IL-6 (p = 0.001) occurred when adjusting for age, gender, BMI, physical activity level, smoking, disease severity, total arthroplasty, and dietary intake of the respective metal. Cu's role in OA is bidirectional, and this study confirms the findings that in OA, Cu is positively associated with inflammation. Such relationships between lifestyle, environment and OA enhance our understanding and encourage further study on metals related to OA inflammation.

Comprehensive analysis of microRNA expression in lumbar facet joint capsules and synovium of patients with osteoarthritis: Comparison between early-stage and late-stage osteoarthritis samples from a single individual

BACKGROUND

MicroRNA is attracting attention as a therapeutic target for osteoarthritis. We focused on joint capsules and synovium in lumbar facet joint osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to identify microRNAs that are upregulated in lumbar facet joint capsules and synovium with osteoarthritis.

METHODS

We included patients who underwent spinal fusion for degenerative lumbar spine diseases. We selected patients who had both early-stage and late-stage facet joint osteoarthritis in a single individual. We extracted joint capsule and synovium samples from these patients and isolated microRNAs. During the screening phase, we compared early-stage and late-stage osteoarthritis samples from the same individual. We identified microRNAs with >2-fold change in expression in 75% or more of patients with late-stage osteoarthritis using next generation sequencing. During the technical validation phase, the same samples were used for real-time polymerase chain reaction. We identified microRNAs with >2-fold change in expression in 62.5% or more of patients with late-stage osteoarthritis.

RESULTS

Of 40 patients who underwent spinal fusion, we selected eight patients with both early-stage and late-stage facet joint osteoarthritis. During the screening phase, we identified eight upregulated microRNAs out of 2274 microRNAs in late-stage OA. In late-stage OA, two microRNAs (miR-133a-5p and miR-144-3p) were upregulated in seven patients and six microRNAs (miR-133a-3p, miR-133b, miR-206, miR-20a-5p, miR-301a-3p, and miR-32-5p) were upregulated in six patients. During the technical validation phase, we found significant upregulation of miR-144-3p expression in late-stage osteoarthritis compared with early-stage osteoarthritis. Expression of the other microRNAs was not significantly different according to the paired-t test. However, miR-133a-3p, miR-133b, and miR-206 were upregulated >2-fold in 62.5% or more of patients with late-stage osteoarthritis.

CONCLUSIONS

Some of the microRNAs identified in this study might be involved in joint capsule degeneration or synovitis.

Investigating the Differential Circulating microRNA Expression in Adolescent Females with Severe Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Proof-of-Concept Observational Clinical Study

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is the most common form of three-dimensional spinal disorder in adolescents between the ages of 10 and 18 years of age, most commonly diagnosed in young women when severe disease occurs. Patients with AIS are characterized by abnormal skeletal growth and reduced bone mineral density. The etiology of AIS is thought to be multifactorial, involving both environmental and genetic factors, but to date, it is still unknown. Therefore, it is crucial to further investigate the molecular pathogenesis of AIS and to identify biomarkers useful for predicting curve progression. In this perspective, the relative abundance of a panel of microRNAs (miRNAs) was analyzed in the plasma of 20 AIS patients and 10 healthy controls (HC). The data revealed a significant group of circulating miRNAs dysregulated in AIS patients compared to HC. Further bioinformatic analyses evidenced a more restricted expression of some miRNAs exclusively in severe AIS females. These include some members of the miR-30 family, which are considered promising regulators for treating bone diseases. We demonstrated circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) from severe AIS females contained miR-30 family members and decreased the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. Proteomic analysis of EVs highlighted the expression of proteins associated with orthopedic disease. This study provides preliminary evidence of a miRNAs signature potentially associated with severe female AIS and suggests the corresponding vesicular component may affect cellular mechanisms crucial in AIS, opening the scenario for in-depth studies on prognostic differences related to gender and grade.

Exploring the Feasibility of Circulating miRNAs as Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers in Osteoarthritis: Challenges and Opportunities

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease characterized by progressive cartilage degradation and joint inflammation. As the most common aging-related joint disease, OA is marked by inadequate extracellular matrix synthesis and the breakdown of articular cartilage. However, traditional diagnostic methods for OA, relying on clinical assessments and radiographic imaging, often need to catch up in detecting early-stage disease or i accurately predicting its progression. Consequently, there is a growing interest in identifying reliable biomarkers that can facilitate early diagnosis and prognosis of OA. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as potential candidates due to their involvement in various cellular processes, including cartilage homeostasis and inflammation. This review explores the feasibility of circulating miRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in OA, focusing on knee OA while shedding light on the challenges and opportunities associated with their implementation in clinical practice.

The role of genetic polymorphisms of interleukin-1 (IL-1R1 and IL-1RN) in primary knee osteoarthritis in Indonesia

This study aimed to evaluate the association of SNPs of the IL-1 family with the clinical severity of knee OA. This case‒control study was performed among 100 healthy knees and 130 osteoarthritis (OA) knees of people aged ≥ 50 years with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m². The possible correlations among clinical findings, radiographic evaluations, serum levels of IL-1R1 and IL-1Ra, and genotype analyses were evaluated. Three SNPs of IL-1R1, rs871659, rs3771202, and rs3917238, were associated with primary knee OA. Females with IL-1R1 SNP rs871659 allele A had a higher prevalence of primary knee OA. No correlation was found between SNPs of IL-1R1 and IL-1RN and clinical or radiologic severity or serum concentrations of IL-1R1 and IL-1Ra (p > 0.05). BMI and IL-1R1 rs3917238 genotype C/C were correlated with moderate-severe VAS scores. A correlation was also found between the EQ-5D-3L self-care dimension and obesity and between the EQ-5D-3L pain and usual activity dimensions and age ≥ 60 and obesity (p < 0.05). Radiologic severity was only associated with age ≥ 60 years (p < 0.05). We found the IL-1R1 SNPs rs871659, rs3771202, and rs3917238 to be predisposing factors for primary knee osteoarthritis. The clinical findings, radiographic severity, and serum concentrations of IL-1R1 and IL-1Ra were not correlated with these gene polymorphisms.

Osteoarthritis and microRNAs: Do They Provide Novel Insights into the Pathophysiology of This Degenerative Disorder?

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most prevalent degenerative joint diseases in older adults and a leading cause of disability. Recent research studies have evidenced the importance of mi-croRNAs (miRs) in the pathogenesis of OA. In the present review, we focused on current literature findings on dysregulated miRs involved in the pathophysiology of OA. From the 35 case-control studies including OA patients compared to healthy controls, a total of 54 human miRs were identified to be dysregulated in OA. In total, 41 miRs were involved in the pathophysiological processes of OA, including apoptosis, inflammation, and proliferation, having either a protective or a progressive role in OA. The discovery of altered miR levels in OA patients compared to healthy controls determines a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of OA and could open novel horizons in the field of orthopedics.

Dietary anthocyanins balance immune signs in osteoarthritis and obesity - update of human in vitro studies and clinical trials

Anthocyanins are known to change ligand-receptor bindings, cell membrane permeability, and intracellular signaling pathways. The beneficial effects of dietary anthocyanins have been chronologically demonstrated in interventional and observational studies, including fourteen human chondrocyte studies and related cell culture assays, nineteen human clinical trials in osteoarthritis patients, seven in vivo obesity assays, nineteen in vitro assays in preadipocytes and related cells, and twenty-two clinical trials in overweight/obese subjects, which are critically discussed in this update. Strawberries, cherries, berries, pomegranate, tropical fruits, rosehip, purple rice, purple corn, red beans, and black soybean, together with cyanidin, delphinidin, malvidin, peonidin, some 3-O-glycosides, metabolites, and acylated anthocyanins from a potato cultivar have shown the best outcomes. The set of these five key tests and clinical trials, taken together, contributes to the understanding of the underlying mechanisms and pathways involved. Furthermore, this set shows the value of anthocyanins in counteracting the progression of osteoarthritis/obesity. The interplay between the inflammation of osteoarthritis and obesity, and the subsequent regulation/immunomodulation was performed through isolated and food anthocyanins. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties of anthocyanins explain the findings of the studies analyzed. However, further interventional studies should be conducted to finally establish the appropriate doses for anthocyanin supplementation, dose-response, and length of consumption, to include dietary recommendations for osteoarthritis/obese patients for preventive and management purposes.

Circulating long non-coding RNA signature in knee osteoarthritis patients with postoperative pain one-year after total knee replacement

OBJECTIVES

The incidence of chronic postoperative pain after total knee replacement (TKR) is approx. 20%, and hence preoperative risk factors are important to identify. Recent studies have indicated that preoperative inflammatory markers might hold prognostic information for the development of chronic postoperative pain. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) regulates the expression of genes related to e.g. inflammatory processes. The current study aimed to investigate the preoperative lncRNA signature as possible preoperative predictive markers for chronic postoperative pain following TKR.

METHODS

Serum samples, collected preoperatively from 20 knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients, were analyzed for 84 validated circulatory lncRNA. Pain intensity was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS) before and one-year after TKR. Differences for the lncRNA expression were analyzed between patients with chronic postoperative pain (VAS≥3) and those with a normal postoperative recovery (VAS<3).

RESULTS

LncRNA Myeloid Zinc Finger 1 Antisense RNA 1 (MZF1-AS1) (fold change -3.99; p-value: 0.038) (shown to be involved neuropathic pain) Metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) (fold change -3.39; p-value: 0.044) (shown to be involved neuropathic pain); Patched 1 pseudogene (LOC100287846) (fold change -6.99; p-value: 0.029) (unknown in pain) were down-regulated preoperatively in the group with chronic postoperative pain compared to the group normal postoperative pain recovery.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest, that TKR patients with chronic postoperative pain present preoperative downregulations of three specific lncRNA detectable at the systemic level. The presented study might give new insights into the complexity of chronic postoperative pain development and show how non-coding RNA plays a role in the underlying molecular mechanisms of pain.