Mast cells: A dark horse in osteoarthritis treatment

Mast cells are best known for their involvement in the pathogenesis of allergic reactions and inflammation. Due to the wide variety of activation methods and the various mediators that mast cells can synthesize and store, they can regulate all stages of the inflammatory process. There are a large amount of data describing the role of mast cells in the development of autoimmune rheumatoid arthritis, but their role in the development of inflammatory traumatic osteoarthritis remains poorly described. However, non-autoimmune cartilage damage is the main reason for joint replacement surgeries. As important regulators of the inflammatory process, mast cells could be an interesting target for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Herein, we summarize the knowledge about the role of mast cells in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis and outline various approaches that, to varying degrees, seem promising for the correction of the disease.