Wnt16 Overexpression in Osteoblasts Increases the Subchondral Bone Mass but has no Impact on Osteoarthritis in Young Adult Female Mice

Epidemiological studies have shown that high bone mineral density (BMD) is associated with an increased risk of osteoarthritis (OA), but the causality of this relationship remains unclear. Both bone mass and OA have been associated with the WNT signaling pathway in genetic studies, there is thus an interest in studying molecular partners of the WNT signaling pathway and OA. Female mice overexpressing WNT16 in osteoblasts (Obl-Wnt16 mice) have an increased bone mass. We aimed to evaluate if the high bone mass in Obl-Wnt16 mice leads to a more severe experimental OA development than in WT control mice. We induced experimental OA in female Obl-Wnt16 and WT control mice by destabilizing the medial meniscus (DMM). The Obl-Wnt16 mice displayed thicker medial and lateral subchondral bone plates as well as increased subchondral trabecular bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV) but un-altered thickness of articular cartilage compared to WT mice. After DMM surgery, there was no difference in OA severity in the articular cartilage in the knee joint between the Obl-Wnt16 and WT mice. Both the Obl-Wnt16 and WT mice developed osteophytes in the DMM-operated tibia to a similar extent. We conclude that although the Obl-Wnt16 female mice have a high subchondral bone mass due to increased WNT signaling, they do not exhibit a more severe OA phenotype than their WT controls. This demonstrates that high bone mass does not result in an increased risk of OA per se.