Abstract: Chronic inflammation is one of the major causes of cartilage destruction in osteoarthritis. During the progression of osteoarthritis, extracellular matrix of cartilage (ECM) is actively remodeled by chondrocytes under inflammatory conditions. This alteration of ECM, in turn, changes the biomechanical environment of chondrocytes, which further drives the progression of the disease in the presence of inflammation. The changes in ECM composition and structure also prevent participation of mesenchymal stem cells in the repair process by inhibiting their chondrogenic differentiation.

Key words: osteoarthritis, inflammation, extracellular matrix, chondrocytes, esenchymal stem cells