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REVIEW article

Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Cell Death and Survival
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1419512

Regulation of chondrocyte apoptosis in osteoarthritis by endoplasmic reticulum stress

Provisionally accepted
Renzhong Li Renzhong Li 1,2Minshun Zhu Minshun Zhu 1Kui Sun Kui Sun 1,2*
  • 1 Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China
  • 2 Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Osteoarthritis(OA), a common degenerative joint disease, is characterized by the apoptosis of chondrocytes as a primary pathophysiological change, with endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS) playing a crucial role. It has been demonstrated that an imbalance in endoplasmic reticulum(ER) homeostasis can lead to ERS, activating three cellular adaptive response pathways through the unfolded protein response(UPR) to restore ER homeostasis. Mild ERS exerts a protective effect on cells, while prolonged ERS that disrupts the self-regulatory balance of the endoplasmic reticulum activates apoptotic signaling pathways, leading to chondrocyte apoptosis and hastening OA progression. Hence, controlling the ERS signaling pathway and its apoptotic factors has become a critical focus for preventing and treating OA. This review aims to elucidate the key mechanisms of ERS pathway-induced apoptosis, associated targets, and regulatory pathways, offering valuable insights to enhance the mechanistic understanding of OA. And it also reviews the mechanisms studied for ERS-related drugs or compounds for the treatment of OA.

    Keywords: osteoarthritis1, Endoplasmic reticulum stress2, Apoptosis3, unfolded protein response4, review5

    Received: 18 Apr 2024; Accepted: 29 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Li, Zhu and Sun. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Kui Sun, Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230061, Anhui Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.