For the first time, a study has linked the presence of zinc in cartilage cells to the onset of osteoarthritis
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousTHEarthrosis is a degenerative disease which affects the joints causing swelling, pain and problems with movement. It is a disease that leads to progressive joint deterioration and which often becomes disabling. Scientific research has not yet understood specifically what causes it, but now a new study links it presence of zinc inside the cartilage cells when this problem arises.
I study, published on Cell, was conducted on an animal model by a team of South Korean researchers from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology. What the scientists discovered is that the lesions that form in the cartilage tissues when osteoarthritis appears are triggered at the molecular level due to a mechanism regulated by zinc.
What the researchers observed was that: the protein (ZIP8) it transports the zinc inside the cartilage cells and this creates a series of molecular chain reactions which have the final result of wearing down the cartilage tissue. For the first time, therefore, the presence of zinc is associated with degeneration due to arthrosis.
“No studies to date have ever clearly indicated that zinc plays a causal role in osteoarthritis. - said Jang-Soo Chun, coordinator of the study - In our research we highlighted the whole series of molecular events involving zinc in the origin of osteoarthritis, from the influx of zinc into cartilage cells to the destruction of tissue cartilage ".
It can therefore be deduced that “local zinc depletion or pharmacological inhibition of ZIP8 function could lead to effective therapeutic approaches for the treatment of osteoarthritis”. The researchers are therefore convinced that the results obtained from this study can be of great help (and quickly) for create new family therapies more targeted and specific for this pathology.
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