'Weight-loss wonder drug' can also treats osteoarthritis, study finds

A study has found that semaglutide shows significant cartilage-protective effects in metabolic osteoarthritis, and that this therapeutic benefit is independent of its weight-loss effects. 

The research teams led by Tong Liping, Chen Di and John Speakman from the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with Associate Professor Zhang Huantian from Jinan University, published the study in Cell Metabolism on Monday. 

For the first time, the research reveals that semaglutide can reshape glucose metabolism patterns in osteoarticular cells, thereby improving key pathological mechanisms of osteoarthritis. The findings provide a potential new drug development target for the clinical treatment of metabolic osteoarthritis.

Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist originally developed to control blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. In recent years, it has gained widespread attention for its notable weight-loss effects and has been dubbed a "weight-loss wonder drug" by the public.

In the study, researchers first established an obese mouse model using a high-fat diet and then induced metabolic osteoarthritis through medial meniscus destabilization surgery. The mice were divided into two groups: one received semaglutide treatment, while the other was placed on a strictly restricted diet under a "pair-feeding" protocol, ensuring that weight loss in both groups was identical.

After 12 weeks, the semaglutide-treated mice showed significantly reduced cartilage degeneration, synovitis and osteophyte formation, along with restored expression of cartilage matrix proteins. In contrast, although the pair-fed mice experienced the same degree of weight loss, they did not exhibit cartilage-protective effects.

"This controlled experiment demonstrates that semaglutide's protective effect on cartilage in osteoarthritis is independent of weight loss, challenging the traditional belief that osteoarthritis improvement relies solely on weight reduction," said Chen Di.