Up to 70 million people around the world suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. Current treatment options have varied efficacy and can cause unwanted side effects. New approaches are needed to treat this condition. Sialic acid modifications on chondrocyte receptors have been associated with arthritic inflammation and joint destruction. For example, the transmembrane mucin receptor protein podoplanin (PDPN) has been identified as a functionally relevant receptor that presents extracellular sialic acid motifs. PDPN signaling promotes inflammation and invasion associated with arthritis and, therefore, has emerged as a target that can be used to inhibit arthritic inflammation.
Hamilton, K. L., Greenspan, A. A., Shienbaum, A. J., Fischer, B. D., Bottaro, A., & Goldberg, G. S. (2022). Maackia amurensis seed lectin (MASL) ameliorates articular cartilage destruction and increases movement velocity of mice with TNFα induced rheumatoid arthritis. Biochemistry and biophysics reports, 32, 101341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrep.2022.101341