A correlation between intestinal microbiota dysbiosis and osteoarthritis
Marta Anna Szychlinska,
Michelino Di Rosa,
Alessandro Castorina,
Ali Mobasheri,
Giuseppe Musumeci
Affiliations
Marta Anna Szychlinska
Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Human Anatomy and Histology Section, School of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Michelino Di Rosa
Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Human Anatomy and Histology Section, School of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Alessandro Castorina
School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Discipline of Anatomy & Histology, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
Ali Mobasheri
School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK; Arthritis Research UK Centre for Sport, Exercise and Osteoarthritis, Arthritis Research UK Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK; Department of Regenerative Medicine, State Research Institute, Centre for Innovative Medicine, Lithuania
Giuseppe Musumeci
Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Human Anatomy and Histology Section, School of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; School of the Sport of the Italian National Olympic Committee ''CONI'' Sicily, Italy; Corresponding author.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease of the articular cartilage, resulting in pain and total joint disability. Recent studies focused on the role of the metabolic syndrome in inducing or worsening joint damage suggest that chronic low-grade systemic inflammation may represent a possible linking factor. This finding supports the concept of a new phenotype of OA, a metabolic OA. The gut microbiome is fundamental for human physiology and immune system development, among the other important functions. Manipulation of the gut microbiome is considered an important topic for the individual health in different medical fields such as medical biology, nutrition, sports, preventive and rehabilitative medicine. Since intestinal microbiota dysbiosis is strongly associated with the pathogenesis of several metabolic and inflammatory diseases, it is conceivable that also the pathogenesis of OA might be related to it. However, the mechanisms and the contribution of intestinal microbiota metabolites in OA pathogenesis are still not clear. The aim of this narrative review is to review recent literature concerning the possible contribution of dysbiosis to OA onset and to discuss the importance of gut microbiome homeostasis maintenance for optimal general health preservation.
