Potential effects of teriparatide (PTH (1–34)) on osteoarthritis: a systematic review

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common and prevalent degenerative joint disease characterized by degradation of the articular cartilage. However, none of disease-modifying OA drugs is approved currently. Teriparatide (PTH (1–34)) might stimulate chondrocyte proliferation and cartilage regeneration via some uncertain mechanisms. Relevant therapies of PTH (1–34) on OA with such effects have recently gained increasing interest, but have not become widespread practice. Thus, we launch this systematic review (SR) to update the latest evidence accordingly. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, and Embase from their inception to February 2022. Studies investigating the effects of the PTH (1–34) on OA were obtained. The quality assessment and descriptive summary were made of all included studies. Overall, 307 records were identified, and 33 studies were included. In vivo studies (n = 22) concluded that PTH (1–34) slowed progression of OA by alleviating cartilage degeneration and aberrant remodeling of subchondral bone (SCB). Moreover, PTH (1–34) exhibited repair of cartilage and SCB, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory effects. In vitro studies (n = 11) concluded that PTH (1–34) was important for chondrocytes via increasing the proliferation and matrix synthesis but preventing apoptosis or hypertrophy. All included studies were assessed with low or unclear risk of bias in methodological quality. The SR demonstrated that PTH (1–34) could alleviate the progression of OA. Moreover, PTH (1–34) had beneficial effects on osteoporotic OA (OPOA) models, which might be a therapeutic option for OA and OPOA treatment. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13075-022-02981-w.