A glucocorticoid spike derails muscle repair to heterotopic ossification after spinal cord injury
Why severe injury to the central nervous system (CNS) triggers the development of large neurogenic heterotopic ossifications (NHOs) within periarticular muscles remains unknown. We report that spinal cord injury (SCI) triggers a rapid corticosterone spike in mice, which is causal for NHO development because treatments with corticosterone or the synthetic glucocorticoid (GC) receptor (GR) agonist dexamethasone are sufficient to trigger heterotopic ossification and upregulate the expression of osteoinductive and osteogenic differentiation genes in injured muscles even without SCI. The central role for GR signaling in causing NHO is further demonstrated in mice deleted for the GR gene (Nr3c1), which no longer develop NHO after SCI. Furthermore, administration of clinical GR antagonists inhibits NHO development in mice with SCI. This study identifies endogenous GC as causing pathological NHO after CNS injury and suggests that GR antagonists may be of prophylactic use to prevent NHO development in victims of severe CNS injuries.
Authors
- Brett C McWhinney (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9632-1148)
- Kylie A. Alexander (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5772-0277)
- Jacobus Ungerer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4929-0929)
- Whitney Fleming
- Jean-Pierre Lévesque (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7299-6025)
- Selwin Gabriel Samuel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1089-563X)
- Ingrid G. Winkler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6026-3572)
- Hong Wa Lao
- Sébastien Banzet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0785-0019)
- Dorothée Girard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3776-2220)
- François Genêt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9732-7410)
- Valérie Barbier
- Marjorie Salga (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6069-6711)
- Marc J. Ruitenberg
- Hsu‐Wen Tseng
Institutions
- Queensland Health (AU)
- Translational Research Institute (AU)
- Inserm (FR)
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FR)
- Mater Research (AU)
- Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (FR)
- Hôpital Raymond-Poincaré (FR)
- Hôpital d'instruction des Armées Percy (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Cell Reports Medicine
- Published
- 2024-12-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101849
- Citations
- 7
- Primary Topic
- Heterotopic Ossification and Related Conditions
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.29
Funders
- U.S. Department of Defense
- Wings for Life
- Wings for Life
- Mater Foundation
- SpinalCure Australia
- Medical Research Council
- National Health and Medical Research Council