Rotator cuff muscle degeneration in a mouse model of glenohumeral osteoarthritis induced by monoiodoacetic acid

Abstract

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease of joint degeneration and impaired function. Muscle atrophy, fatty infiltration, and fibrosis are degenerative features of muscle injury and predict poor outcomes in some degenerative and exercise-related injuries. Patients with glenohumeral joint OA usually have rotator cuff muscle degeneration, even though the rotator cuff is intact. However, the mechanism and correlation between OA and degeneration of muscles around joints are still unknown.

Methods: Forty-five 12-month-old C57BL/6J mice received a single injection of monoiodoacetic acid into the right glenohumeral joint. The sham group was injected with saline on the same day in the right glenohumeral joint. Three and 6 weeks after the operation, gait analysis was conducted to evaluate the function of the forelimb. Then, the shoulder joint and supraspinatus muscle were collected for histologic staining, reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and biomechanics test. Correlations between fat area fraction in muscle, percentage wet muscle weight change or Osteoarthritis Research Society International score, and gait analysis/muscle mechanics tests were assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient or Spearman's correlation coefficient.

Results: Compared with the sham group, the monoiodoacetic acid group developed significant glenohumeral joint OA and the supraspinatus muscle developed significant fatty infiltration and muscle atrophy. Shoulder function correlated with glenohumeral joint OA/rotator cuff muscle severity, weight loss, and fatty infiltration.

Conclusion: In mice, glenohumeral joint OA can lead to rotator cuff degeneration and inferior limb function. The small animal model could be a powerful tool to further study the potential mechanisms between glenohumeral OA and rotator cuff muscle degeneration.

Keywords: Glenohumeral joint osteoarthritis; Monoiodoacetic acid; gait analysis; mice; muscle degeneration.