SEARCHNARRATIVE_REVIEWrheumatology, preclinical research

narrative_review·rheumatology, preclinical research, biomedical research, research methods·PMC10838951

Spatial analysis of the osteoarthritis microenvironment: techniques, insights, and applications

Bone Research · 8 authors, 8 centres

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It highlights that traditional sample preparation like formalin fixation alters tissue structure, and newer methods such as fresh-frozen sections and tape-assisted systems better preserve original tissue integrity for accurate spatial imaging of elements, metabolites, proteins, RNA, and DNA. It posits that a deeper mechanistic understanding from these techniques could inform the development of disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs.

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narrative_review

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rheumatology

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AI pipeline

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ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10838951

Spatial analysis of the osteoarthritis microenvironment: techniques, insights, and applications

Bone Research

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ABSTRACT

Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating degenerative disease affecting multiple joint tissues, including cartilage, bone, synovium, and adipose tissues. OA presents diverse clinical phenotypes and distinct molecular endotypes, including inflammatory, metabolic, mechanical, genetic, and synovial variants. Consequently, innovative technologies are needed to support the development of effective diagnostic and precision therapeutic approaches. Traditional analysis of bulk OA tissue extracts has limitations due to technical constraints, causing challenges in the differentiation between various physiological and pathological phenotypes in joint tissues. This issue has led to standardization difficulties and hindered the success of clinical trials. Gaining insights into the spatial variations of the cellular and molecular structures in OA tissues, encompassing DNA, RNA, metabolites, and proteins, as well as their chemical properties, elemental composition, and mechanical attributes, can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the disease subtypes. Spatially resolved biology enables biologists to investigate cells within the context of their tissue microenvironment, providing a more holistic view of cellular function. Recent advances in innovative spatial biology techniques now allow intact tissue sections to be examined using various -omics lenses, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, with spatial data. This fusion of approaches provides researchers with critical insights into the molecular composition and functions of the cells and tissues at precise spatial coordinates. Furthermore, advanced imaging techniques, including high-resolution microscopy, hyperspectral imaging, and mass spectrometry imaging, enable the visualization and analysis of the spatial distribution of biomolecules, cells, and tissues. Linking these molecular imaging outputs to conventional tissue histology can facilitate a more comprehensive characterization of disease phenotypes. This review summarizes the recent advancements in the molecular imaging modalities and methodologies for in-depth spatial analysis. It explores their applications, challenges, and potential opportunities in the field of OA. Additionally, this review provides a perspective on the potential research directions for these contemporary approaches that can meet the requirements of clinical diagnoses and the establishment of therapeutic targets for OA. Subject terms: Pathogenesis, Diseases

CITATION EXPORT

Xiwei Fan, Antonia Rujia Sun, Reuben S E Young et al.. Spatial analysis of the osteoarthritis microenvironment: techniques, insights, and applications. Bone Research. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41413-023-00304-6

AUTHORS

8 · 8 CENTRES

Xiwei Fan, Antonia Rujia Sun, Reuben S E Young, Isaac O Afara, Brett R Hamilton, Louis Jun Ye Ong, Ross Crawford, Indira Prasadam

1Centre for Biomedical Technologies, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD Australia
2School of Mechanical, Medical & Process Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD Australia
3Central Analytical Research Facility, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD Australia
4Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW Australia
5Department of Technical Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
6School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD Australia
7Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD Australia
8The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, QLD Australia