Fexofenadine protects against osteoarthritis by targeting Smad2 and STAT1 to enhance anabolism and binding cPLA2 to inhibit catabolism.

ABSTRACT: Cartilage metabolism balance chaos is crucial in the development and progression of osteoarthritis (OA), with chronic low-grade inflammation being the primary factor that leads to chondrocyte metabolic dysregulation. Fexofenadine (FFD) is a widely used commercially available anti-allergy compound, which has been shown to reduce inflammation. The present study finds FFD's therapeutic effects in primary human ex-vivo cultures and surgically induced murine models. Mechanism study illustrates FFD exhibits chondroprotective effect through anti-nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB)-mediated inflammation and pro-Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGFβ)-associated anabolism. Specifically, FFD directly binds to cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2), down-regulating downs

SUBMITTER: Liu K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12540828 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature