ABSTRACT
Osteoarthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by non inflammatory degeneration of articular cartilage and the formation of osteophytes at the edge of the joint, caused by complex causes. Its pathology is complex, and its pathogenesis is not yet clear, ultimately leading to joint stiffness and functional activity disorders. At present, the treatment for osteoarthritis is limited to alleviating symptoms and improving function, with varying degrees of side effects. Ferroptosis is a new type of programmed cell death discovered in recent years, which is related to the pathological and physiological processes of osteoarthritis and plays an important regulatory role in the occurrence and development of osteoarthritis. Its main characteristics include iron metabolism imbalance and accumulation of reactive oxygen species. Therefore, ferroptosis inhibitors targeting ferroptosis have shown great application prospects in the treatment of osteoarthritis. In this review, the author summarizes the relevant mechanisms of ferroptosis in the occurrence and development of osteoarthritis, outlines a large number of specific therapeutic drugs and their corresponding targets, with the aim of delaying and reversing the progression of osteoarthritis by regulating chondrocyte ferroptosis, which has certain clinical guiding significance.