Pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies of osteoarthritis: roles of immune cells, inflammatory mediators, and pathogenic signaling pathways

Osteoarthritis (OA), the leading global cause of joint-related disability, is increasingly viewed as an immune-mediated disorder rather than mere mechanical wear-and-tear. Yet how resident and infiltrating immune cells, inflammatory mediators and dysregulated signaling networks act in concert to perpetuate synovitis, erode cartilage and remodel subchondral bone remains a central enigma. This review dissects the cellular and molecular choreography underlying OA pathology. We detail how macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs), neutrophils, mast cells (MCs), natural killer cells (NK cells), T cells, and B cells orchestrate destructive immune-bone crosstalk within the joint microenvironment. Key inflammatory mediators…

• PM
  Philipps-Universität Marburg