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Cruz CJ, Yeater TD, Griffith JL, Allen KD. Vagotomy accelerates the onset of symptoms during early disease progression and worsens joint-level pathogenesis in a male rat model of chronic knee osteoarthritis. Osteoarthr Cartil Open 2024; 6:100467. [PMID: 38655014 PMCID: PMC11035058 DOI: 10.1016/j.ocarto.2024.100467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective Low vagal tone is common in osteoarthritis (OA) comorbidities and results in greater peripheral inflammation. Characterizing vagal tone's role in OA pathogenesis may offer insights into OA's influences beyond the articular joint. We hypothesized that low vagal tone would accelerate onset of OA-related gait changes and worsen joint damage in a rat knee OA model. Methods Knee OA was induced in male Sprague Dawley rats by transecting the medial collateral ligament and medial meniscus. Then, left cervical vagus nerve transection (VGX, n = 9) or sham VGX (non-VGX, n = 6) was performed. Gait and tactile sensitivity were assessed at baseline and across 12 weeks, with histology and systemic inflammation evaluated at endpoint. Results At week 4, VGX animals showed limping gait characteristics through shifted stance times from their OA to non-OA limb (p = 0.055; stance time imbalance = 1.6 ± 1.6%) and shifted foot strike locations (p < 0.001; spatial symmetry = 48.4 ± 0.835%), while non-VGX animals walked with a balanced and symmetric gait. Also at week 4, while VGX animals had a mechanical sensitivity (50% withdrawal threshold) of 13.97 ± 7.70 compared to the non-VGX animal sensitivity of 29.74 ± 9.43, this difference was not statistically significant. Histologically, VGX animals showed thinner tibial cartilage and greater subchondral bone area than non-VGX animals (p = 0.076; VGX: 0.80 ± 0.036 mm2; non-VGX: 0.736 ± 0.066 mm2). No group differences in systemic inflammation were observed at endpoint. Conclusions VGX resulted in quicker onset of OA-related symptoms but remained unchanged at later timepoints. VGX also had thinner cartilage and abnormal bone remodeling than non-VGX. Overall, low vagal tone had mild effects on OA symptoms and joint remodeling, and not at the level seen in common OA comorbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos J. Cruz
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Taylor D. Yeater
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Jacob L. Griffith
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Kyle D. Allen
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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Yeater TD, Griffith JL, Cruz CJ, Patterson FM, Aldrich JL, Allen KD. Hypertension contributes to exacerbated osteoarthritis pathophysiology in rats in a sex-dependent manner. Arthritis Res Ther 2023; 25:7. [PMID: 36635774 PMCID: PMC9835335 DOI: 10.1186/s13075-022-02966-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hypertension is a common comorbidity of osteoarthritis (OA) with known autonomic dysregulation; thus, the autonomic nervous system may provide a shared underlying mechanism. The objective of this study was to examine the role of the autonomic nervous system in a preclinical model of OA and hypertension. METHODS Experiments were conducted in spontaneously hypertensive rats and a normotensive control strain, including male and female rats. OA was surgically induced via medial meniscus transection with skin incision used as a sham control (n = 7-8/strain/sex/surgery). Tactile sensitivity, anxiety-related behavior, and serum corticosterone were measured at baseline then bi-weekly across 8 weeks. At weeks 9-10, cardiovascular responses to a chemical vagal nerve agonist were determined to indirectly evaluate vagus nerve function. The joint structure was assessed via grading of histological sections. RESULTS In males, OA resulted in thinner cartilage in both hypertensive (OA vs. non-OA p < 0.001) and normotensive (OA vs. non-OA p < 0.001). Only females with comorbid hypertension and OA displayed thinner cartilage (p = 0.013). Male hypertensive OA animals had increased calcified subchondral bone compared to normotensive OA animals (p = 0.043) while female hypertensive OA animals had increased calcified subchondral bone compared to hypertensive sham animals (p < 0.001). All MCLT+MMT groups developed low-grade synovitis; interestingly, hypertensive OA females had higher synovitis scores than normotensive OA females (p = 0.046). Additionally, hypertension led to larger drops in blood pressure with vagal activation in both OA (hypertensive vs. normotensive p = 0.018) and sham (hypertensive vs. normotensive p < 0.001) male animals. In females, this trend held true only in OA animals (normotensive vs. hypertensive p = 0.005). CONCLUSION These data provide preliminary evidence that hypertension influences OA progression and encourages further study into the autonomic nervous system as a possible mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor D. Yeater
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, 1275 Center Drive, Biomedical Sciences Building, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Pain Research & Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
| | - Jacob L. Griffith
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, 1275 Center Drive, Biomedical Sciences Building, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Pain Research & Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
| | - Carlos J. Cruz
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, 1275 Center Drive, Biomedical Sciences Building, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Pain Research & Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
| | - Folly M. Patterson
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, 1275 Center Drive, Biomedical Sciences Building, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Pain Research & Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Community Dentistry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
| | - Jessica L. Aldrich
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, 1275 Center Drive, Biomedical Sciences Building, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Pain Research & Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
| | - Kyle D. Allen
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, 1275 Center Drive, Biomedical Sciences Building, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Pain Research & Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
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Cruz CJ, Dewberry LS, Otto KJ, Allen KD. Neuromodulation as a Potential Disease-Modifying Therapy for Osteoarthritis. Curr Rheumatol Rep 2023; 25:1-11. [PMID: 36435890 DOI: 10.1007/s11926-022-01094-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The following review discusses the therapeutic potential of targeting the autonomic nervous system (ANS) for osteoarthritis (OA) treatment and encourages the field to consider the candidacy of bioelectronic medicine as a novel OA treatment strategy. RECENT FINDINGS The study of OA pathogenesis has focused on changes occurring at the joint level. As such, treatments for OA have been aimed at the local joint environment, intending to resolve local inflammation and decrease pain. However, OA pathogenesis has shown to be more than joint wear and tear. Specifically, OA-related peripheral and central sensitization can prompt neuroplastic changes in the nervous system beyond the articular joint. These neuroplastic changes may alter physiologic systems, like the neuroimmune axis. In this way, OA and related comorbidities may share roots in the form of altered neuroimmune communication and autonomic dysfunction. ANS modulation may be able to modify OA pathogenesis or reduce the impact of OA comorbidities. Moreover, blocking chronic nociceptive drive from the joint may help to prevent maladaptive nervous system plasticity in OA.
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