Posted on 02/01/2022 5:43:06 AM PST by Red Badger
Researchers from North Carolina State University have discovered that a particular molecular signaling pathway plays an important role in producing osteoarthritis (OA) pain. Using a mouse model of painful osteoarthritis, they show that blocking this signaling pathway eliminates pain and results in a return to normal limb use. This work is the first to find an association between this pathway and OA pain, and could lead to the development of new, effective pain treatments for human OA sufferers.
Over 32.5 million U.S. adults suffer from painful OA, making it the most common joint disorder in the country. The incidence of OA is increasing, and while it can range in severity, OA can be associated with pain which limits mobility and function.
"There are currently very few effective and safe long-term ways to manage OA pain, which is chronic and often very debilitating," says Duncan Lascelles, professor of translational pain research and management at NC State and co-corresponding author of the research.
Previously, Lascelles, an expert in companion animal pain management, and his colleague, NC State neurobiologist Santosh Mishra, observed increased levels (or upregulation) of the components of this signaling pathway in the joint fluid, blood and sensory nerves of dogs with naturally occurring OA. The components in question—the ligand, or binding molecule artemin, and its receptor GFRα3—were known to pain researchers, but had not been associated with OA pain signaling.
"When you feel pain, that's the result of a molecule at the painful site interacting with a receptor on a sensory nerve, setting off a cascade of events within the nerve that lead to a signal being produced," Lascelles says. "This signal travels along the nerve, and is interpreted as painful by the brain."
"For acute pain, the artemin/GFRα3 system has been known to play a role, particularly in situations like cold hypersensitivity," says Mishra, assistant professor of neuroscience at NC State and co-corresponding author of the work. "However it had not been associated with pain in a chronic condition like OA. Observing upregulation of a particular molecule doesn't necessarily mean it's relevant in a particular condition, so we decided to explore whether this pathway was functionally involved in pain signaling in OA—that is, explore whether this signaling pathway was actually contributing to OA pain."
In a mouse model of chemically induced OA the researchers found that GFRα3 was upregulated in the sensory nerves—just as it was in dogs with naturally occurring OA—versus a control group of healthy mice. A subset of the OA mice were then treated with monoclonal antibodies designed to bind to GFRα3, preventing artemin from binding to GFRα3 and effectively blocking the pain signaling pathway.
Within two hours post-treatment with the antibodies, limb function had returned to normal levels in the treated mice, indicating that the artemin/GFRα3 pathway most likely plays an important role in OA pain.
"While this is a proof-of-concept study, the findings are encouraging and we hope to continue working to understand this pathway and its involvement in OA pain," Mishra says.
"Although the work here is in a mouse model, it was based on robust observations in dogs with naturally occurring OA pain," Lascelles says. "Because OA in dogs and humans is so similar, we believe our findings are highly relevant to both. Hopefully this work can lead to targeted drug therapies to relieve pain in both canine and human OA patients. While we cannot reverse the joint damage, we can hopefully alleviate suffering caused by pain, decreased mobility and decreased ability to function."
The research appears in Frontiers in Neuroscience, and was supported by funding from NC State's Translational Research in Pain Program. Former NC State graduate student Laura Minnema, and current NC State graduate student, Ankita Gupta, are co-first authors.
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More information:
Laura Minnema et al, Investigating the Role of Artemin and Its Cognate Receptor, GFRα3, in Osteoarthritis Pain, Frontiers in Neuroscience (2022).
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.738976
Journal information: Frontiers in Neuroscience
Provided by North Carolina State University
This looks big.
I am not an arthritis sufferer, and I know there are other types of arthritis, but this looks like a big discovery. I feel bad for people if it’s going to take 8 years of trials before they can get any relief. It’s only covid that’s special, for some reason.
Maybe they should call it Covid-osteoarthritis to get Fauci’s attention..................
This sounds promising but would like to know when it might be available for human use. I have OA, particularly in my knees, and it has pretty much limited my ability to comfortably play golf or even walk for exercise. I mean, if “they” can make COVID-19 vaxxes in less than a year, why not this stuff...?
take a spoonful of coconut oil every day and eat jello every day until it gets better. start immediately
Exactly. The market should decide, not some petty bureaucrat with their hand out.........................
Hell, I’d rather have my OA CURED rather than only have the pain ameliorated.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4034417/posts
Just discovered a new pain yesterday. Ball of my right foot. I can poke and prod the area but no pain. Walk on it the wrong way and pain explodes in that spot and can sometimes can almost bring me down. Nerve damage maybe? One more pain to add to the list...LOL.
Damn. I hate getting old.
I am thinking that the pain is there for a reason. Just blocking it can’t be a long term solution.
My pinkies look like pretzels and it is nice when they don’t hurt. But, even when they don’t, they are hardly “fully functional”.
Thanks for that link.
It runs in our family. I’ve had it for years and the pain especially in the winter is just debilitating. About 5 years ago I started taking high grade organic turmeric and now I almost never have pain. We buy it online in 1lb bags and put it in capsules. I take one or two per day. I can’t remember the last time I took an advil.
When Trump's President again he'll fast track this...
Give the carnivore diet a try. I’m 74 and have been on it four years. I was just starting to get arthritis in one of the joints of the little finger on my left hand. I would get sharp pains, like from a needle. My wife said that’s arthritis, and I could see the joint was weird.
The joint is still crooked but I never get any pains in it, and no arthritis has cropped up anywhere else.
Give it at least 30 days. Jordan Peterson’s daughter (Mikaela) had severe arthritis, hip replacement, etc. healed by the carnivore diet. There are a lot of videos on youtube about it.
There are good stretching exercises which will help you heal and an orthodic you can wear at night to continue the stretching. Essentially, the tendon group in the plantar are too tight. The result of the stretching causes a bone spur, which is the slight pulling away of cartilage at the heel.
First thing in the morning, before walking you should gently stretch the tendons and calf muscles. Once healing begins, then regular stretching and exercize will keep the problem at bay.
I too take TUMERIC to control arthritic pain. It is important to use an organic high quality product. I use the Gaia Herbs brand, a local company I trust for quality. It also has added black pepper to aid absorption of curcuminoids.
It is very obvious if I miss taking it one day, as the pain is relentless, especially in the winter. We also give it to our 14 yr old Labrador Retriever. He had begun limping and unable to play “retrieve the tennis ball”. Now he is running and jumping again.
It’s interesting that you make your own. Where do you get the bags you buy? Do you have to crush up leaves or is it already to go in the capsules. What I’m using is expensive so I might be interested in trying your way.
I think Mr. GG2 orders it from bulk herbs online. Its very reasonable maybe $12-$14 for a 1LB bag of high grade organic. We buy the gel caps at the health food store and we do add black pepper as we make the capsules. I’m also feel the difference if I miss a day of taking it. You do have to take it everyday.
Does Tumeric really work that good?
How much do you actually take....I have 1000mg here but never took it?
I take 1-2 capsules a day but I don’t know how many mg.
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