Role of Fat-Soluble Vitamins in Osteoarthritis Management

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative joint disease, in which metabolic imbalance in bone is observed. The pathological mechanism of metabolic imbalance is not clear yet, but the nutritional factors, particularly the vitamins, might be intrinsic to the development and progression of OA. In this review article, we have explored databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar articles until the beginning of 2017 and reviewed the role of fat-soluble vitamins in pathological and therapeutic aspects of OA. Vitamin D plays an important role in the development and maintenance of the skeleton, as well as bone and cartilage metabolism, and its deficiency is implicated in the pathological process of OA. Vitamin E enhances chondrocyte growth and exhibits an anti-inflammatory activity, as well as plays an important role in the prevention of cartilage degeneration. In human OA cartilage, vitamin K deficiency produces abnormal growth plate calcification and inappropriate mineralization of cartilage. Thus, these fat-soluble vitamins play a key role in the pathophysiology of OA, and supplementation of these vitamins may provide innovative approaches for OA management. However, vitamin A has a different role, which is a regulator of cartilage and skeletal formation. When metabolite levels of vitamin A are elevated in synovial fluid, they appear to drive OA development. The role of inhibitors of vitamin A here remains unclear. More investigations are needed to examine the effects of fat-soluble vitamins on the various molecular pathways of OA, as well as to assess the efficacy and safety of their usage clinically.

Mandibular Endochondral Growth Is Specifically Augmented by Nutritional Supplementation with Myo-Inositol Even in Rabbits

“…There are some reported nutritional factors that augment chondrocytic growth and differentiation. Lipophilic vitamins such as Vitamins A, D, E, and K [ 29 ], glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate [ 30 ], glucose and glucose-derived sugars [ 31 ], and vitamin D [ 32 ] were reported to have positive effects on chondrocytic growth and differentiation. Interestingly, a potential role for vitamin D in sleep arousals was reported [ 61 ].…”

“…As to nutritional factors which augment chondrocytic growth and differentiation, lipophilic vitamins [ 29 ], glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate [ 30 ], glucose and glucose-derived sugars [ 31 ], and vitamin D [ 32 ] were reported factors. Regarding the correlation between nutrition and mandibular growth, it was observed that murine subjects deficient in myo-inositol synthase and inositol monophosphatase exhibited pronounced mandibular retrognathism [ 33 ].…”

The Value of the Monocyte to High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio in Assessing the Severity of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Retrospective Single Center Cohort Study

“…In addition, some nutrients and vitamins have been shown to associate with OA, Vitamin A and its derivatives retinoic acid regulate the cartilage and skeletal formation and drive OA development. 30 However, OA is the consequence of a multifaceted misbalance between synthesis and cleavage of extracellular matrix, and measuring one alone is often inadequate. These markers are primarily used in scientific research rather than clinical settings because they are small, difficult to measure, and expensive.…”

Integrating transcriptome-wide association study and mRNA expression profile identified candidate genes related to hand osteoarthritis

“…This enzyme is thought to play a role in regulating all-trans-retinaldehyde in the human body [6]. DHRS3 is detect in the biology process of vitamin A that plays an important role in bone and cartilage metabolism, and its deficiency is implicated in the pathological process of OA [26]. In a study of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), DHRS3 was detected as one candidate genes for RA, as its expression was twice as high in the RA case group as in the control group [27].…”