Treating osteoarthritis via gene therapy with rejuvenation factors

Access through your institution Buy or subscribe Cellular senescence and stem cell exhaustion are drivers of various aging-associated disorders, including osteoarthritis, a leading cause of

disability and one of the most common degenerative diseases, the incidence of which increases with age [1,2,3,4]. Arthroplasty and autologous chondrocyte transplantation are osteoarthritis

treatments, among which autologous chondrocyte transplantation is currently the most effective [5]. However, autologous chondrocyte transplantation is limited by the source of healthy donor

cartilage and the proliferative capacity of primary chondrocytes [6]. More traditional treatment options involve mainly oral and intra-articular drugs and physical therapy (including

electrotherapy and acupuncture). Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as selective cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitors, are widely used due to their anti-inflammatory effects but may have

adverse effects on the gastric mucosa and renal function and increase the risk for cardiovascular diseases. The analgesics used to ease patient pain are largely oral opioids and

intra-articular corticosteroids. In addition, symptomatic slow-acting drugs, including glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, and diacerein, are used. Furthermore, platelet-rich plasma

seems to be another therapeutic option for the alleviation of osteoarthritis [7]. Despite the development of these therapeutic options, there is still no cure for osteoarthritis with

nonsurgical disease-modifying treatment. Therefore, there is an urgent need for more specific therapeutic strategies developed on the basis of an in-depth molecular understanding of this

disease. Osteoarthritis usually emerges from disruption of the superficial zone of cartilage where mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and chondrocyte progenitor cells reside. Therefore, MSCs

residing in the joint cartilage may be a critical target for the prevention of osteoarthritis [8]. Nonetheless, the key regulators of MSC senescence and aging-associated genes that act as 

potential targets for the treatment of human osteoarthritis are largely unknown. A comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms of MSC senescence may help identify novel

therapeutic targets for osteoarthritis. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access through your institution Subscribe to this journal

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA16010100), the National Key Research and Development Program of

China (2018YFC2000100, 2018YFA0107203), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81922027, 81870228, 81921006, 81625009, 91749202, 81861168034, 91949209), Program of Beijing

Municipal Science and Technology Commission (Z191100001519005), Beijing Natural Science Foundation (Z190019), the State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology and the State Key

Laboratory of Membrane Biology. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing,

China Jiahe Zhang, Guang-Hui Liu & Moshi Song * Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China Jiahe Zhang, Guang-Hui Liu, Jing Qu & 

Moshi Song * University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China Jiahe Zhang, Guang-Hui Liu, Jing Qu & Moshi Song * Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection,

National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, 100053, Beijing, China Guang-Hui Liu * State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and

Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China Jing Qu Authors * Jiahe Zhang View author publications You can also search for this author

inPubMed Google Scholar * Guang-Hui Liu View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Jing Qu View author publications You can also search for this

author inPubMed Google Scholar * Moshi Song View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHORS Correspondence to Guang-Hui Liu, Jing

Qu or Moshi Song. ETHICS DECLARATIONS CONFLICT OF INTEREST The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PUBLISHER’S NOTE Springer Nature remains

neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Zhang, J.,

Liu, GH., Qu, J. _et al._ Treating osteoarthritis via gene therapy with rejuvenation factors. _Gene Ther_ 27, 309–311 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41434-020-0149-5 Download citation *

Received: 11 February 2020 * Revised: 02 April 2020 * Accepted: 02 April 2020 * Published: 27 April 2020 * Issue Date: August 2020 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41434-020-0149-5 SHARE THIS

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