Microenvironment in subchondral bone: predominant regulator for the treatment of osteoarthritis

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases

Fecha de publicación: Abril de 2021

DOI: 2021;80:413-422.

Autores: Wenhui Hu, Yueqi Chen, Ce Dou, Shiwu Dong

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease in the elderly. Although OA has been considered as primarily a disease of the articular cartilage, the participation of subchondral bone in the pathogenesis of OA has attracted increasing attention. This review summarises the microstructural and histopathological changes in subchondral bone during OA progression that are due, at the cellular level, to changes in the interactions among osteocytes, osteoblasts, osteoclasts (OCs), endothelial cells and sensory neurons. Therefore, we focus on how pathological cellular interactions in the subchondral bone microenvironment promote subchondral bone destruction at different stages of OA progression. In addition, the limited amount of research on the communication between OCs in subchondral bone and chondrocytes (CCs) in articular cartilage during OA progression is reviewed. We propose the concept of ‘OC–CC crosstalk’ and describe the various pathways by which the two cell types might interact.

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