USE OF RXR AGONISTS FOR THE TREATMENT OF OSTEOARTHRITIS
Disclosed herein are methods of preventing and treating osteoarthritis through the use of RXR agonists.
1 . A method for the treatment of a mammal suffering from osteoarthritis comprising administering to the mammal in need thereof an RXR-responsive gene expression-modulating amount of an RXR agonist.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the RXR agonist is 9-cis retinoic acid, docosahexanoic acid, phytanic acid, 6-[1-(3,5,5,8,8-pentamethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl)cyclopropyl]pyridine-3-carboxylic acid, or 4-[1-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-3,5,5,8,8-pentamethyl-2-naphthalenyl)ethenyl]benzoic acid.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein treatment with the RXR agonist inhibits cartilage degradation and/or induces cartilage regeneration.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein treatment with the RXR agonist provides pain relief in osteoarthritic joints.
5 . A method for the treatment of a mammal suffering from osteoarthritis comprising administering to the mammal in need thereof an effective amount of an RXR agonist to relieve pain in osteoarthritic joints.
6 . A method of indentifying an RXR ligand capable of reducing an osteoarthritic effect in cartilage comprising:
(a) providing a sample containing RXR;
(b) contacting the sample with a test compound; and
(c) determining whether the test compound reduces an osteoarthritic effect in cartilage.