Role of inorganic polyphosphate in articular cartilage homeostasis

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Articular cartilage is a soft tissue that covers the surfaces of bones in synovial joints. This load-bearing tissue enables low friction movement and distributes forces transmitted through the joint. Cartilage integrity is maintained by tightly regulated mechanisms that balance the breakdown of the tissue and its replacement with newly synthesized biomolecules (homeostasis). Prolonged imbalance between these two processes in response to a changing biological or mechanical environment in the joint has been associated with the onset of osteoarthritis (OA), a group of debilitating joint diseases characterized by the progressive degradation of cartilage that affects more than 3 million Canadians.