Transcriptomic profile of Lin negative, LEPR positive cells of human peri-implant fibrous tissue and peri-implant bone

Peri-implant fibrosis is one of the most common reasons for implant failure and surgical revision after prosthetic joint replacement. This type of surgical revisionis associated with substantial additional morbidity and healthcare costs. However, the cellular and molecular mediators of peri-implant fibrosis remain unclear. Here, we show that peri-implant fibrotic tissue in mice and humans is largely composed of a specific population of leptin receptor-expressing(LEPR+) cells and that these LEPR+cells are necessary and sufficient to both generate and maintain peri-implant fibrotic tissue. Genetic ablation of LEPR+cells prevents peri-implant fibrosis, and implantation of LEPR+cells from peri-implant fibrotic tissue is sufficient to induce fibrosis in secondary hosts. We further identify adhesion G protein-coupled receptorF5 (ADGRF5) as a crucial mediator of the fibrotic response by LEPR+cells, as conditional deletion of ADGRF5 in LEPR+cells attenuates peri-implant fibrosis while augmenting peri-implant bone formation. Finally, we demonstrate that inhibition of ADGRF5 by intra articular or systemic administration of neutralizing anti-ADGRF5prevents and reverses peri-implant fibrosis. Thus, pharmaceutical agents that inhibit the ADGRF5 pathway inLEPR+cells may represent a new approach to prevent and treat peri-implant fibrosis.