title: Quantitative X-ray microradiography for high-throughput phenotyping of osteoarthritis in mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate and validate digital X-ray microradiography as a novel, high-throughput and cost-effective screening approach to identify abnormal joint phenotypes in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Digital X-ray microradiography was used to quantify the subchondral bone mineral content (BMC) in the medial tibial plateau. Accuracy and reproducibility of the method were determined in 22 samples from C57BL/6(B6Brd;B6Dnk;B6N-Tyr(c-Brd)) wild-type mice. The method was then validated in wild-type mice that had undergone surgical destabilisation of medial meniscus (DMM) and in a genetically modified mouse strain with an established increase in trabecular bone mass.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The measurement of subchondral BMC by digital X-ray microradiography had a coefficient of variation of 3.6%. Digital X-ray microradiography was able to demonstrate significantly increased subchondral BMC in the medial tibial plateau of male mice 4 and 8 weeks after DMM surgery and in female mice 8 weeks after surgery. Furthermore, digital X-ray microradiography also detected the increase in subchondral BMC in a genetically modified mouse strain with high trabecular bone mass.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quantitation of subchondral BMC by digital X-ray microradiography is a rapid, sensitive and cost-effective method to identify abnormal joint phenotypes in mice of both genders at several ages.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Endocrinology Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK. Electronic address: j.waung@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Waung
authors.affiliation: Molecular Endocrinology Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK. Electronic address: s.maynard13@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Maynard
authors.affiliation: Molecular Endocrinology Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK. Electronic address: s.gopal13@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gopal
authors.affiliation: Molecular Endocrinology Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK. Electronic address: a.gogakos@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gogakos
authors.affiliation: Molecular Endocrinology Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK. Electronic address: j.logan@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Logan
authors.affiliation: Molecular Endocrinology Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK. Electronic address: graham.williams@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Molecular Endocrinology Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK. Electronic address: d.bassett@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: J H D
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Bassett
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015519:Bone Density; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000601:surgery; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008852:Microradiography; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D010641:Phenotype; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013977:Tibia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology
keywords: Bone mineral content; Destabilisation of the medial meniscus; Digital X-ray microradiography; Mouse phenotyping; Osteoarthritis; Subchondral bone