Provoking regeneration of cartilage degraded by osteoarthritis is possible, shows a study conducted by American researchers from the University of Southern California and published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
A renewal of the cartilage and less pain due to osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a disease of the joints where the inflammation persists and becomes destructive for the cartilage. Researchers have found a way to limit this inflammatory process, leaving the cartilage the opportunity to regenerate. To achieve this result, they identified a key protein in the inflammation signaling pathway in cartilage cells and found a small peptide of four amino acids capable of blocking its activation.
In rats and dogs, infiltration of the peptide into the synovial cavity surrounding the knee induced cartilage renewal and corrected artificially induced osteoarthritis. The treatment also markedly reduced the pain and lameness of the treated animals. The study offers a new therapeutic perspective, different from the many attempts to treat osteoarthritis made in the past. Another promising approach aims to directly stimulate the formation of new cartilage in the joint: two substances having this effect, TPX-100 and lorecivivint are being tested in patients.
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No satisfactory treatment exists on the market to counter osteoarthritis
Currently, no satisfactory treatment exists to counter this very common degenerative disease in the elderly, the therapies offered are often limited to limiting joint pain related to cartilage damage. “Research also remains active in this area, says Prof. Jérémie Sellam, rheumatologist at Saint Antoine Hospital in Paris, and a powerful long-lasting analgesic, resiniferatoxin, could well be marketed in France in the coming years”.
