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Focus on Cartilage Biology
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Focus on Cartilage Biology

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2025 | Viewed by 14509

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jácome Bruges-Armas

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Hospital de Santo Espirito da Ilha Terceira (HSEI T), 9600-537 Azores, Portugal
Interests: cartilage biology; signaling pathways; molecular genetics; osteoarthritis; inflammatory arthropathy; cartilage repair; microbioma

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

The investigation of musculoskeletal disorders must include cartilage as one of its main focuses. In order to understand and analyze the uprising of several cartilage-associated diseases, it is crucial to have an update on cartilage biology. Research on cartilage has already produced new data that allowed the improvement of the classification, the medical approach, and the diagnosis and treatment of several disorders.

In this Special Issue, we pretend to gather manuscripts that may contribute to acquiring new insights into cartilage biology in health and disease. We are calling for original and review papers focusing on cartilage biological functions, mechanical factors, inflammatory mechanisms, the role of genetics, and signaling pathways in health and disease, and the contribution of epigenetics to the understanding of mechanisms of disease. 

Chondropathies, Osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, Chondrocalcinosis, and Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH) are the main pathologies to deal with in this Special Issue. Several areas are particularly relevant: the recent and well-recognized relationship between the gut microbiome and the synovium may be a new paradigm to treat some of these diseases, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and spondyloarthritis. Proteomics is certainly relevant in cartilage biology and research, and may provide new diagnostic biomarkers; the understanding of cellular and molecular basic mechanisms may help to design new strategies using disease modifying approaches to the treatment of rheumatic disorders, namely osteoarthritis, through the inhibition of inflammatory mediators or inhibitors of cartilage degeneration. Cartilage repair is also an important area to include in this Special Issue—manuscripts on cell sources of cartilage engineering and biomaterials for cartilage repair are welcome.

Dr. Jácome Bruges-Armas
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cartilage biology
  • signaling pathways
  • molecular genetics
  • osteoarthritis
  • inflammatory arthropaty
  • cartilage repair
  • microbioma
 

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 5111 KiB  
Article
Changes in the Serum Metabolome in an Inflammatory Model of Osteoarthritis in Rats
by Neus I. Berenguer, Vicente J. Sifre Canet, Carme Soler Canet, Sergi Segarra, Alejandra García de Carellán and C. Iván Serra Aguado
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(6), 3158; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25063158 - 9 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1442
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a pathology of great impact worldwide. Its physiopathology is not completely known, and it is usually diagnosed by imaging techniques performed at advanced stages of the disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate early serum metabolome changes and [...] Read more.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a pathology of great impact worldwide. Its physiopathology is not completely known, and it is usually diagnosed by imaging techniques performed at advanced stages of the disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate early serum metabolome changes and identify the main metabolites involved in an inflammatory OA animal model. This study was performed on thirty rats. OA was induced in all animals by intra-articular injection of monoiodoacetate into the knee joint. Blood samples were taken from all animals and analyzed by mass spectrometry before OA induction and 28, 56, and 84 days following induction. Histological evaluation confirmed OA in all samples. The results of this study allow the identification of several changes in 18 metabolites over time, including organic acids, benzenoids, heterocyclic compounds, and lipids after 28 days, organic acids after 56 days, and lipid classes after 84 days. We conclude that OA induces serological changes in the serum metabolome, which could serve as potential biomarkers. However, it was not possible to establish a relationship between the identified metabolites and the time at which the samples were taken. Therefore, these findings should be confirmed in future OA studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Focus on Cartilage Biology)
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13 pages, 2639 KiB  
Article
Integrated Analysis of DNA Methylation and Gene Expression Profiles in a Rat Model of Osteoarthritis
by Jin Mi Chun, Joong-Sun Kim and Chul Kim
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(1), 594; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010594 - 2 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1822
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is common and affected by several factors, such as age, weight, sex, and genetics. The pathogenesis of OA remains unclear. Therefore, using a rat model of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced OA, we examined genomic-wide DNA methylation using methyl-seq and characterized the transcriptome [...] Read more.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is common and affected by several factors, such as age, weight, sex, and genetics. The pathogenesis of OA remains unclear. Therefore, using a rat model of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced OA, we examined genomic-wide DNA methylation using methyl-seq and characterized the transcriptome using RNA-seq in the articular cartilage tissue from a negative control (NC) and MIA-induced rats. We identified 170 genes (100 hypomethylated and upregulated genes and 70 hypermethylated and downregulated genes) regulated by DNA methylation in OA. DNA methylation-regulated genes were enriched in functions related to focal adhesion, extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction and the PI3K-Akt and Hippo signaling pathways. Functions related to extracellular matrix organization, extracellular matrix proteoglycans, and collagen formation were involved in OA. A molecular and protein-protein network was constructed using methylated expression-correlated genes. Erk1/2 was a downstream target of OA-induced changes in DNA methylation and RNA expression. We found that the integrin subunit alpha 2 (ITGA2) gene is important in focal adhesion, alpha6-beta4 integrin signaling, and the inflammatory response pathway in OA. Overall, gene expression changes because DNA methylation influences OA pathogenesis. ITGA2, whose gene expression changes are regulated by DNA methylation during OA onset, is a candidate gene. Our findings provide insights into the epigenetic targets of OA processes in rats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Focus on Cartilage Biology)
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Review

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30 pages, 2482 KiB  
Review
Cartilage Repair: Promise of Adhesive Orthopedic Hydrogels
by Peyman Karami, Alexis Laurent, Virginie Philippe, Lee Ann Applegate, Dominique P. Pioletti and Robin Martin
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(18), 9984; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25189984 - 16 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1416
Abstract
Cartilage repair remains a major challenge in human orthopedic medicine, necessitating the application of innovative strategies to overcome existing technical and clinical limitations. Adhesive hydrogels have emerged as promising candidates for cartilage repair promotion and tissue engineering, offering key advantages such as enhanced [...] Read more.
Cartilage repair remains a major challenge in human orthopedic medicine, necessitating the application of innovative strategies to overcome existing technical and clinical limitations. Adhesive hydrogels have emerged as promising candidates for cartilage repair promotion and tissue engineering, offering key advantages such as enhanced tissue integration and therapeutic potential. This comprehensive review navigates the landscape of adhesive hydrogels in cartilage repair, discussing identified challenges, shortcomings of current treatment options, and unique advantages of adhesive hydrogel products and scaffolds. While emphasizing the critical need for in situ lateral integration with surrounding tissues, we dissect current limitations and outline future perspectives for hydrogel scaffolds in cartilage repair. Moreover, we examine the clinical translation pathway and regulatory considerations specific to adhesive hydrogels. Overall, this review synthesizes the existing insights and knowledge gaps and highlights directions for future research regarding adhesive hydrogel-based devices in advancing cartilage tissue engineering. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Focus on Cartilage Biology)
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27 pages, 1331 KiB  
Review
The Mechanisms and Efficacy of Photobiomodulation Therapy for Arthritis: A Comprehensive Review
by Renlong Zhang and Junle Qu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(18), 14293; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241814293 - 19 Sep 2023
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4325
Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) have a significant impact on the quality of life of patients around the world, causing significant pain and disability. Furthermore, the drugs used to treat these conditions frequently have side effects that add to the patient’s burden. [...] Read more.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) have a significant impact on the quality of life of patients around the world, causing significant pain and disability. Furthermore, the drugs used to treat these conditions frequently have side effects that add to the patient’s burden. Photobiomodulation (PBM) has emerged as a promising treatment approach in recent years. PBM effectively reduces inflammation by utilizing near-infrared light emitted by lasers or LEDs. In contrast to photothermal effects, PBM causes a photobiological response in cells, which regulates their functional response to light and reduces inflammation. PBM’s anti-inflammatory properties and beneficial effects in arthritis treatment have been reported in numerous studies, including animal experiments and clinical trials. PBM’s effectiveness in arthritis treatment has been extensively researched in arthritis-specific cells. Despite the positive results of PBM treatment, questions about specific parameters such as wavelength, dose, power density, irradiation time, and treatment site remain. The goal of this comprehensive review is to systematically summarize the mechanisms of PBM in arthritis treatment, the development of animal arthritis models, and the anti-inflammatory and joint function recovery effects seen in these models. The review also goes over the evaluation methods used in clinical trials. Overall, this review provides valuable insights for researchers investigating PBM treatment for arthritis, providing important references for parameters, model techniques, and evaluation methods in future studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Focus on Cartilage Biology)
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22 pages, 1238 KiB  
Review
The Role of Regulated Programmed Cell Death in Osteoarthritis: From Pathogenesis to Therapy
by Suqing Liu, Yurong Pan, Ting Li, Mi Zou, Wenji Liu, Qingqing Li, Huan Wan, Jie Peng and Liang Hao
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(6), 5364; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24065364 - 10 Mar 2023
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4778
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a worldwide chronic disease that can cause severe inflammation to damage the surrounding tissue and cartilage. There are many different factors that can lead to osteoarthritis, but abnormally progressed programmed cell death is one of the most important risk factors [...] Read more.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a worldwide chronic disease that can cause severe inflammation to damage the surrounding tissue and cartilage. There are many different factors that can lead to osteoarthritis, but abnormally progressed programmed cell death is one of the most important risk factors that can induce osteoarthritis. Prior studies have demonstrated that programmed cell death, including apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis, autophagy, and cuproptosis, has a great connection with osteoarthritis. In this paper, we review the role of different types of programmed cell death in the generation and development of OA and how the different signal pathways modulate the different cell death to regulate the development of OA. Additionally, this review provides new insights into the radical treatment of osteoarthritis rather than conservative treatment, such as anti-inflammation drugs or surgical operation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Focus on Cartilage Biology)
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