ADAMTS Proteases: Potential Biomarkers and Novel Therapeutic Targets for Cartilage Health

Abstract

The equine locomotor system’s health plays a key role on athletic performance. Bone and joint diseases are the major causes of lameness. Poor performance and diseases lead to great economic loss to equestrian sports and horse breeders. Therefore, prevention, early diagnosis, and therapy of joint diseases are important. A disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS) proteinase family plays an important role in many physiological processes such as tissue reorganization, coagulation, and angiogenesis. Aggrecan proteinases ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 are physiologically responsible for the restructuring with enzymatic cleavage of the cartilage, specific biomarkers in the synovium or body fluids for early diagnosis, and potential specific therapeutic targets in order to their role on degenerative joint diseases physiopathology in humans and various animals.