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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Assessment of Knee Hyperalgesia in Mice using Pressure Application Measurement
Published on: June 13, 2025
Osteoarthritic tissues modulate functional properties of sensory neurons associated with symptomatic OA pain
Xin Li1, Jae-Sung Kim, Andre J van Wijnen
1Department of Biochemistry, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
Abstract:
Osteoarthritis (OA) is an age-related degenerative disease of cartilaginous tissues that is accompanied by hyperalgesia. Molecular cause and effect relationships between OA and pain remain to be elucidated. In this study, we have developed an experimental ex vivo organ co-culture system with dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) and knee synovial tissues from OA patients or unaffected human subjects. Our results suggest that tissues may generate symptomatic pain by altering the functional properties of sensory neurons. Specifically, we find that the expression levels of genes associated with neuronal pathways (e.g., SP, NK1, NK2, NPYR1, NPYR2, α2δ1) or inflammation (COX2/PTGS2 and IL6/interferon β2) are clearly elevated in DRG explants cultured in the presence of OA derived synovial tissues. These findings are consistent with a model in which cytokines and pain molecules produced by knee synovium sensitize nociceptive neurons in tissues peripheral to joint cartilage.
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