Osteoarticular Expression of Musashi-1 in an Experimental Model of Arthritis

Abstract EN

Background.

Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), a murine experimental disease model induced by immunization with type II collagen (CII), is used to evaluate novel therapeutic strategies for rheumatoid arthritis.

Adult stem cell marker Musashi-1 (Msi1) plays an important role in regulating the maintenance and differentiation of stem/precursor cells.

The objectives of this investigation were to perform a morphological study of the experimental CIA model, evaluate the effect of TNFα-blocker (etanercept) treatment, and determine the immunohistochemical expression of Msi1 protein.

Methods.

CIA was induced in 50 male DBA1/J mice for analyses of tissue and serum cytokine; clinical and morphological lesions in limbs; and immunohistochemical expression of Msi1.

Results.

Clinically, TNFα-blocker treatment attenuated CIA on day 32 after immunization ( P < 0.001 ).

Msi1 protein expression was significantly higher in joints damaged by CIA than in those with no lesions ( P < 0.0001 ) and was related to the severity of the lesions (Spearman’s rho = 0.775, P = 0.0001 ).

Conclusions.

Treatment with etanercept attenuates osteoarticular lesions in the murine CIA model.

Osteoarticular expression of Msi1 protein is increased in joints with CIA-induced lesion and absent in nonlesioned joints, suggesting that this protein is expressed when the lesion is produced in order to favor tissue repair.