Role of inorganic polyphosphate in articular cartilage homeostasis

关节软骨是覆盖滑膜关节中的骨表面的软组织。这种承重组织能够实现低摩擦运动，并分散通过关节传递的力。软骨完整性是通过严格调节的机制来维持的，该机制平衡了组织的分解及其与新合成的生物分子的替代（稳态）。这两个过程之间的长期不平衡，以应对关节中不断变化的生物或机械环境，与骨关节炎（OA）的发病有关，骨关节炎是一组以软骨进行性退化为特征的衰弱性关节疾病，影响超过300万加拿大人。

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.