Scientists Uncover a New Biological Driver of Osteoarthritis - ScienceAlert
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Osteoarthritis, where the cartilage in a joint gradually erodes away and leads to the painful friction of bone-on-bone, is the leading cause of disability for older adults worldwide. Until now, it's also been considered a consequence of mechanical wear and tear. Researchers led by a team from Chonnam National University in South Korea have come up with an alternative hypothesis: What if high blood pressure (hypertension) could also be contributing to the breakdown of cartilage tissue? In a new study in Science, the researchers make the connection between the hormone arginine vasopressin (AVP), which is more abundant in people with hypertension, and its receptor AVPR1A – essentially a lock on the surface of cells that enables AVP to trigger a chemical reaction. While AVPR1A is barely present in healthy cartilage, it begins to appear more as we get older or after an injury. That essentially primes the cartilage for AVP interactions, the researchers suggest, which then triggers chemical reactions that degrade the tissue.
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