Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Vanquisher Or Accomplice Of Osteoarthritis? Minji Ai discusses osteoarthritis, mesenchymal stem cells, and and how our mechanistic understanding of them both is bringing us closer to a therapy currently just out of reach
Osteoarthritis | Is there an old lady living next door to you who complains about joint pain every winter as the temperature drops? If so, she may have arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis affecting over 250 million people worldwide, particularly the elderly. In the UK, one in three adults aged 45 and over have reported osteoarthritis symptoms, 60% of which are in the knee joint. Primary osteoarthritis symptoms include chronic pain and stiffness in joints, which hugely impair one’s mobility and quality of life. How does osteoarthritis become established in joints? To answer this, we need to first understand how a healthy joint functions. A joint is a connective structure where two bones meet. A typical moving joint, such as the knee joint, consists of bones, articular cartilage covering bone ends, a synovial capsule forming the joint cavity, and connective tissue linking the two bone ends. Similar to the renewal of our red blood cells, joint tissues also renew, albeit at a much slower pace. It takes nearly 25 years for proteoglycan, a main component of cartilage, and 10 years for bone to renew in adults. Underlying this slow 8
Mesenchymal Stem Cells
self-renewal process is the constant breaking down and regrowth of tissue components, termed as turnover, which is regulated by tightly controlled biological mechanisms. This renewal process can be easily disrupted, leading to diseases such as osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis arises from abnormal joint tissue turnover, which can be triggered by various factors such as ageing, obesity, joint injury, or overuse of joints. These skew the renewal balance in cartilage and bone, leading to typical osteoarthritis-like features such as cartilage loss and abnormal bone growing in the joints. Such features progress slowly over time as highly differentiated cartilage and bone cells have a limited capacity to stop or reverse this skewed turnover. Treatments For Osteoarthritis | Sadly, there is currently no cure for osteoarthritis. There are treatments available for symptom relief and joint function improval. Physical therapy and pain relief medication are usually prescribed to patients with moderate osteoarthritis. Invasive surgical methods such as joint replacement surgery are recommended to patients with advanced osteoarthritis. However, these treatments Lent 2021
