Nociceptive phenotype alterations of dorsal root ganglia neurons innervating the subchondral bone in osteoarthritic rat knee joints

Up-regulation of nociceptive markers in subchondral bone afferents correlated with subchondral bone damage, suggesting that subchondral bone is a therapeutic target, especially in the case of advanced stage knee OA. In particular, CGRP and TrkA are potentially molecular therapeutic targets to treat joint pain associated with subchondral lesions.