Figure 1 | Scientific Reports

Figure 1

From: Regulatory network-based model to simulate the biochemical regulation of chondrocytes in healthy and osteoarthritic environments

Figure 1

Involvement of regulatory proteins in chondrocyte and articular cartilage metabolism and homeostasis. In a healthy state, the predominant proteins are those that have a pro-anabolic nature, whereas for different reasons, when OA starts, pro-inflammatory cytokines increase and disrupt the balance between catabolic and anabolic molecules. In healthy articular cartilage (AC), chondrocytes remain in a quiescent state with very low turnover, and a balance between anabolic and catabolic cell processes is reached. In contrast, in OA, chondrocytes become dysregulated and start proliferating, increasing the production of inflammatory mediators and matrix-degrading enzymes, which causes mechanical weakness. Then, the basal activity of chondrocytes shifts into a more catabolic phenotype, and articular cartilage degrades as chondrocytes lose their ability to repair any damage in the surrounding extracellular matrix. Created with BioRender.com (2021).

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