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  • RESEARCH BRIEFINGS

Small numbers of sodium channels on cartilage cells have a large effect on joint damage

A type of sodium channel previously thought to be specific to neurons is also present in chondrocytes — cells that are crucial for joint health. Despite having low density, the sodium channels have an outsized role in the progression of osteoarthritis, and their genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition reduced joint damage in mouse models.

This is a summary of: Fu, W. et al. Nav1.7 as a chondrocyte regulator and therapeutic target for osteoarthritis. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06888-7 (2024).

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-03845-2

‘Expert opinion’ and the figure are published under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

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