Selenium gel injected into joints may protect and repair OA

Researchers made tiny gel beads that react to two harmful signals in early osteoarthritis: high reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are damaging molecules, and extra MMP13, an enzyme that breaks down cartilage. (Think of ROS as rusting and MMP13 as scissors cutting the cushioning.)The gel contains an organic form of selenium that raises levels of helpful selenoproteins in cartilage, the joint lining (synovium), and the bone under the cartilage, which act like internal antioxidants or cleaners for cells.In animal tests, injecting these gel beads into damaged joints lowered cartilage breakdown, reduced swelling of the joint lining, and lessened abnormal bone hardening, all signs of slower disease. It also helped new cartilage grow in models where cartilage was intentionally damaged, suggesting repair potential.The treatment improved how cells’ mitochondria (their energy factories) worked and increased their antioxidant defenses, through a pathway named PI3K-AKT-mTOR, which you can think of as a cell’s repair-and-survive signaling system.Overall, the gel responds where and when the joint is unhealthy, releases selenium locally, and appears to act on several problems at once (inflammation, tissue breakdown, and poor cell energy), which is different from treatments that target only one issue.