Cartilage diseases

Abstract

Hyaline cartilages, fibrocartilages and elastic cartilages play multiple roles in the human body including bearing loads in articular joints and intervertebral discs, providing joint lubrication, forming the external ears and nose, supporting the trachea, and forming the long bones during development and growth. The structure and organization of cartilage's extracellular matrix (ECM) are the primary determinants of normal function. Most diseases involving cartilage lead to dramatic changes in the ECM which can govern disease progression (e.g., in osteoarthritis), cause the main symptoms of the disease (e.g., dwarfism caused by genetically inherited mutations) or occur as collateral damage in pathological processes occurring in other nearby tissues (e.g., osteochondritis dissecans and inflammatory arthropathies). Challenges associated with cartilage diseases include poor understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis, delayed diagnoses due to the aneural nature of the tissue and drug delivery challenges due to the avascular nature of adult cartilages. This narrative review provides an overview of the clinical and pathological features as well as current treatment options available for various cartilage diseases. Late breaking advances are also described in the quest for development and delivery of effective disease modifying drugs for cartilage diseases including osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

Role of CD147 (EMMPRIN/Basigin) in Tissue Remodeling

“…ECM remodeling occurs throughout life during physiological processes, such as embryo implantation and development (Igakura et al, ; Lee et al, ), aging (Huet et al, ), and wound repair or pathologic processes (Walraven and Hinz, ) such as cancer (Rønnov‐Jessen et al, ) or inflammatory diseases (Krishnan and Grodzinsky, ). ECM remodeling during its physiological turnover or in the course of pathology encompasses schematically two opposing processes: ECM deposition (± contraction) and ECM lysis.…”

Caffeine, a Risk Factor for Osteoarthritis and Longitudinal Bone Growth Inhibition

“…Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common worldwide chronic rheumatic disease and the main culprit of disability among the middle-aged and elderly [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. It is characterized by progressive articular cartilage degradation.…”

“…However, the whole joint is normally compromised [2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Articular cartilage is a type of hyaline cartilage that covers joint surfaces and is involved in maintaining the correct function of diarthrodial joints, lubrication, and resistance to mechanical loading [5][6][7][8]. As a result of OA alterations, symptoms like pain, stiffness, and loss of function occur, leading to an increase of personal dependency [1,8,9].…”

“…Hyaline cartilage is also found in the embryonic stages of endochondral bones and in the growth plate, where it plays a crucial role in the longitudinal growth of long bones. Moreover, [7,11,12]. Among the diverse pathologies that affect this type of cartilage, chronic inflammatory diseases stand out.…”

“…Among the diverse pathologies that affect this type of cartilage, chronic inflammatory diseases stand out. These diseases have a negative impact on bone development, with a prevalence of bone alterations between 17% and 40% [7,11,12].…”