Nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a debilitating disease that often results in collapse of the femoral head and secondary arthritis of the hip. With the increase of associated risk factors (e.g., alcohol and corticosteroids), the incidence of nontraumatic ONFH has been growing in recent years. Although its detailed mechanism remains unclear, apoptosis of osteocytes and chronic inflammation rank as the two distinctive pathologic characteristics of nontraumatic ONFH in the necrotic region. Therefore, immune cells such as macrophages, T cells, NK cells and neutrophils may play critical roles in the development of this disorder. Immune cells and their products could influence the activities of osteoclasts, osteoblasts, bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and osteocytes. Osteoimmunology, which combines bone biology and immunology, has recently become a focus of nontraumatic ONFH research.
Studies about the inflammatory signal pathways and the involved immune cells further illuminate the pathogenesis of nontraumatic ONFH and present potential therapeutic targets. For example, in the reparative area of advanced nontraumatic ONFH, M1 macrophages were enriched in avascular regions. Putative interventions by using MSCs, chemokine and bioactive medicines (e.g., AS-IV and Curcumin) to correct the M1/M2 imbalance are plausible choices for treating this debilitating disorder. However, little is known about osteoimmunology in the development of nontraumatic ONFH. Meanwhile, these above-mentioned studies mainly used in situ staining due to the inconvenience of extracting cells from the necrotic region and the low viability of the extracted immune cells.
This Research Topic highlights the advancement in understanding the associations among various immune cells and other cell types in nontraumatic ONFH and encourages the submission of original research articles using state-of-the-art technologies. Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:
• Distribution and function of immune cells in nontraumatic ONFH.
• Interactions among immune cells and their association with non-immune cells in nontraumatic ONFH.
• Therapeutic application related to the roles of immune cells in nontraumatic ONFH.
• Molecular mechanism underlying the activation of immune cells in nontraumatic ONFH.
• Immune infiltration in bone tissue and peripheral blood in nontraumatic ONFH.
• Diagnostic and prognostic potential of immune cells in nontraumatic ONFH.
Nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a debilitating disease that often results in collapse of the femoral head and secondary arthritis of the hip. With the increase of associated risk factors (e.g., alcohol and corticosteroids), the incidence of nontraumatic ONFH has been growing in recent years. Although its detailed mechanism remains unclear, apoptosis of osteocytes and chronic inflammation rank as the two distinctive pathologic characteristics of nontraumatic ONFH in the necrotic region. Therefore, immune cells such as macrophages, T cells, NK cells and neutrophils may play critical roles in the development of this disorder. Immune cells and their products could influence the activities of osteoclasts, osteoblasts, bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and osteocytes. Osteoimmunology, which combines bone biology and immunology, has recently become a focus of nontraumatic ONFH research.
Studies about the inflammatory signal pathways and the involved immune cells further illuminate the pathogenesis of nontraumatic ONFH and present potential therapeutic targets. For example, in the reparative area of advanced nontraumatic ONFH, M1 macrophages were enriched in avascular regions. Putative interventions by using MSCs, chemokine and bioactive medicines (e.g., AS-IV and Curcumin) to correct the M1/M2 imbalance are plausible choices for treating this debilitating disorder. However, little is known about osteoimmunology in the development of nontraumatic ONFH. Meanwhile, these above-mentioned studies mainly used in situ staining due to the inconvenience of extracting cells from the necrotic region and the low viability of the extracted immune cells.
This Research Topic highlights the advancement in understanding the associations among various immune cells and other cell types in nontraumatic ONFH and encourages the submission of original research articles using state-of-the-art technologies. Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:
• Distribution and function of immune cells in nontraumatic ONFH.
• Interactions among immune cells and their association with non-immune cells in nontraumatic ONFH.
• Therapeutic application related to the roles of immune cells in nontraumatic ONFH.
• Molecular mechanism underlying the activation of immune cells in nontraumatic ONFH.
• Immune infiltration in bone tissue and peripheral blood in nontraumatic ONFH.
• Diagnostic and prognostic potential of immune cells in nontraumatic ONFH.
