Osteoarthritis Is a Low-Grade Inflammatory Disease: Obesity’s Involvement and Herbal Treatment

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is considered a major cause of disability around the globe. This handicapping disease causes important cartilage and bone alteration that is associated with serious pains and loss of joint function. Despite its frequent association with obesity, the aetiology of OA is not fully understood. In this review, the different aspects of OA and its correlation with obesity were analysed. Through examining different mechanisms by which obesity may trigger and/or exacerbate OA, we point out some relevant signalling pathways that may evolve as candidates for pharmacological drug development. As such, we also suggest a review of different herbal medicines (HMs) and their main compounds, which specifically interfere with the identified pathways. We have shown that obesity’s involvement in OA is not only limited to the mechanical weight exerted on the joints (mechanical hypothesis), but also induces an inflammatory state by different mechanisms, including increased leptin expression, compromised gut mucosa, and/or gut microbiota disruption. The main signalling pathways involved in OA inflammation, which are associated with obesity, are protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) and TLR4 or DAP12. Moreover, we also underline the contamination of plant extracts with LPS as an important factor to consider when studying HM’s effects on articular cells. By summarizing recent publications, this review aims at highlighting newly established aspects of obesity involvement in OA other than the mechanical one.