Label-free, multi-parametric assessments of cell metabolism and matrix remodeling within human and early-stage murine osteoarthritic articular cartilage

Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by the progressive deterioration of articular cartilage, involving complicated cell-matrix interactions. Systematic investigations of dynamic cellular and matrix changes during OA progression are lacking. In this study, we use label-free two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) and second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging to assess cellular and extracellular matrix features of murine articular cartilage during several time points at early stages of OA development following destabilization of medial meniscus surgery. We detect significant changes in the organization of collagen fibers and crosslink-associated fluorescence of the superficial zone as early as one week following surgery. Such changes become significant within the deeper transitional and radial zones at later time-points, highlighting the importance of high spatial resolution. Cellular metabolic changes exhibit a highly dynamic behavior, and indicate metabolic reprogramming from enhanced oxidative phosphorylation to enhanced glycolysis or fatty acid oxidation over the ten-week observation period. The optical metabolic and matrix changes detected within this mouse model are consistent with differences identified in excised human cartilage specimens from OA and healthy cartilage specimens. Thus, our studies reveal important cell-matrix interactions at the onset of OA that may enable improved understanding of OA development and identification of new potential treatment targets.