Detection of relaxin receptor in the dorsoradial ligament, synovium, and articular cartilage of the trapeziometacarpal joint

Basilar thumb osteoarthritis (OA) is postulated to occur due to ligament attenuation of the trapeziometacarpal (TM) joint. Relaxin is a peptide hormone, which loosens ligaments before childbirth, through remodeling of the extracellular matrix via upregulation of matrix metalloproteases (MMPs). We postulated that relaxin family peptide receptor 1 (RXFP-1), the receptor for circulating relaxin, was present in tissues of the TM joint. Ligaments and synovium were sampled from 15 patients during surgery for TM arthritis. We obtained trapezial cartilage from two autopsy donors and four patients. Tissues were fixed, paraffin embedded, and sectioned at 5 µm, then were immunostained for RXFP-1, as well as MMP-1, and MMP-13, using rabbit anti-human polyclonal antibodies. Eight DRL samples showed positive immunostaining for relaxin receptor, with 14/15 positively stained in synovium. Greater staining was seen in specimens obtained from women with more severe TM arthritis. Trapezial cartilage demonstrated receptor staining within chondrocytes in the middle and deep zones. Immunostaining for MMPs co-localized with relaxin receptor staining. Relaxin receptors are present at the ligament, cartilage, and synovium of the TM joint, indicating that it is a potential target for relaxin. This suggests that circulating relaxin may impact joint stability. The role of relaxin in cartilage and synovium may be related to its role in collagen regulation as a possible tissue response to OA. © 2014 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 32:1061–1067, 2014.