Il-1β inhibition combined with cholesterol-lowering therapies decreases synovial lining thickness and spontaneous cartilage degeneration in a humanized dyslipidemia mouse model

Purpose: Metabolic syndrome, one of the risk factors of osteoarthritis (OA) development, is characterised by a cluster of metabolic conditions, including dyslipidemia, obesity and insulin resistance. Low-grade systemic inflammation, associated with metabolic disease, has been suggested as a potential link between high cholesterol levels and OA development. Recently, inhibition of IL-1β showed a reduction in total knee and hip replacements in patients with high inflammatory risk and a history of cardiovascular disease in the CANTOS trial.