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Review
. 2015 Aug 28;4(F1000 Faculty Rev):642.
doi: 10.12688/f1000research.6514.1. eCollection 2015.

Advances in understanding cartilage remodeling

Yefu Li  1 , Lin Xu  1
Affiliations
Review

Advances in understanding cartilage remodeling

Yefu Li et al. F1000Res. .

Abstract

Cartilage remodeling is currently among the most popular topics in osteoarthritis research. Remodeling includes removal of the existing cartilage and replacement by neo-cartilage. As a loss of balance between removal and replacement of articular cartilage develops (particularly, the rate of removal surpasses the rate of replacement), joints will begin to degrade. In the last few years, significant progress in molecular understanding of the cartilage remodeling process has been made. In this brief review, we focus on the discussion of some current "controversial" observations in articular cartilage degeneration: (1) the biological effect of transforming growth factor-beta 1 on developing and mature articular cartilages, (2) the question of whether aggrecanase 1 (ADAMTS4) and aggrecanase 2 (ADAMTS5) are key enzymes in articular cartilage destruction, and (3) chondrocytes versus chondron in the development of osteoarthritis. It is hoped that continued discussion and investigation will follow to better clarify these topics. Clarification will be critical for those in search of novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Keywords: Cartilage remodeling; aggrecanase; chondrocytes; chondron; osteoarthritis; transforming growth factor-beta 1.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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