A liver-cartilage selenium axis underlies metabolic comorbidity in osteoarthritis.
Liver dysfunction impairs selenium delivery to cartilage, promoting osteoarthritis in mice and humans, with a 20% higher prevalence in liver disease patients.
- Why it matters: Understanding systemic metabolic factors in osteoarthritis can reveal new prevention and treatment strategies, addressing the gap in knowledge about liver-cartilage interactions.
- What they did: The study examined nationwide cohorts and murine models of liver injury, uncovering how hepatic stress reduces selenoprotein P output, disrupting selenium transport to cartilage.
- The result: Inorganic selenium supplementation restored cartilage selenoproteins and reduced osteoarthritis severity, suggesting selenium as a modifiable nutritional target for preventing joint disease linked to liver dysfunction.