How to protect joints from aging: scientists have found a solution

Scientists have discovered that a specific enzyme protein — 15-PGDH — impedes cartilage restoration in joints with age, and blocking it can reverse the wear. In old mice, after suppressing this protein, worn cartilage thickened, and the development of osteoarthritis following injury was successfully prevented. The study was published in the journal Science.

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease, in which cartilage gradually deteriorates and is virtually unable to repair itself. Researchers from Stanford University (listed by the Russian Ministry of Justice as an undesirable organization in Russia) identified the key culprit behind this process: with age, the enzyme 15-PGDH accumulates in joints, suppressing the molecules responsible for cartilage tissue repair.

The experimental results were impressive. When the protein was blocked, cartilage in elderly mice began to regenerate, and in young animals, osteoarthritis did not develop even after a ligament tear. Notably, the tissue was "repaired" by the existing cartilage cells themselves — chondrocytes — without any involvement of stem cells.

The effect was also confirmed in human cartilage samples obtained from patients during knee replacement surgery: inflammation decreased and tissue elasticity increased.

According to the study's lead author, Stanford University stem cell specialist Helen Blau, the 15-PGDH inhibitor has already undergone human trials for other indications and raised no safety concerns. In the authors' opinion, this could significantly accelerate the path of this new method into clinical practice.