Histone acetylation, a dynamic cellular process, is critical in regulating gene transcription in a variety of ways. This process is tightly regulated by the antagonistic actions of two unique families of enzymes, the histone deacetylases (HDACs) and histone acetyltransferases. HDACs remove acetyl groups (O Z C-CH3) from histones to induce the generation of a compressed, transcriptionally repressed chromatin structure. The HDAC proteins are classified into four groups based on DNA sequence similarity and functional activities.1 Classic HDAC proteins (class I, II, and IV) possess a zinc-dependent active site and are further grouped into 11 subtypes named chronologically HDAC 1 to 11. HDAC class III proteins require the NAD þ cofactor for activity and are known as sirtuins, a family of seven known members (SIRT 1 to 7).The HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) are currently being extensively investigated for the management of a variety of diseases, including inflammatory conditions and cancer. In this issue of The American Journal of Pathology, Makki and Haqqi 2 have found that the drug vorinostat, which is a class I and II HDAC inhibitor, blocks IL-1beinduced expression of matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)-13, tumor necrosis factor-a, and other catabolic factors in human osteoarthritis (OA) chondrocytes obtained from the human knee cartilage.2 Moreover, vorinostat was also found to rescue the collagen type II a and aggrecan proteoglycan expression in OA chondrocytes, which were down-regulated by IL-1b. In addition, the authors have demonstrated that IL6estimulated MMP-13 expression was independent of IL-1b stimulation and was blocked by vorinostat, suggesting that vorinostat inhibits IL-6 signaling in chondrocytes. In this commentary, we discuss the implications of these findings and the potential of HDAC inhibition in the management of OA.