THE debilitating joint disease osteoarthritis may be caused by the failure of
the powerhouses in cartilage cells, says Robert Terkeltaub of the Veterans
Affairs San Diego Health System in California.
Previous research had suggested that osteoarthritic cartilage contains
increased levels of the free radical gas nitric oxide, which can interfere with
mitochondria—the energy-producing organelles in cells.
So Terkeltaub and his colleagues treated cartilage cells with compounds that
hamper energy production. The cells took on features similar to osteoarthritic
cartilage cells (Arthritis and Rheumatism, vol 43, p 1560).
The study shows for the first time that osteoarthritis may be…
