Journal of molecular histologyAug 4, 2026

How a growth factor-controlled cell cleanup process helps keep cartilage healthy and may influence osteoarthritis

Longevity & Aging Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Updated Aug 5, 2026

Abstract

Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF) reverses IL-1β-induced metabolic imbalance in chondrocytes.

HB-EGF downregulates catabolic markers (Mmp13, Adamts5) and upregulates anabolic markers (Acan, Col2a1) in an in vitro osteoarthritis model.
Enhanced mitophagy is indicated by increased levels of Pink1, Parkin, and Lc3-II, along with decreased P62 after HB-EGF treatment.
The protective effects of HB-EGF on mitochondrial function are reduced by the mitophagy inhibitor Mdivi-1.
Activation of EGFR signaling by HB-EGF promotes PINK1/PARKIN-mediated mitophagy, facilitating the clearance of damaged mitochondria.
Improving mitochondrial function through this pathway may help restore chondrocyte metabolic balance and delay osteoarthritis progression.

Simplified

This study investigates the mechanism by which heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF) maintains cartilage homeostasis in osteoarthritis (OA) through the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mitochondrial autophagy axis. Given the challenges in OA treatment and the critical role of impaired mitochondrial autophagy in disease progression, this research first identified key regulators using transcriptomic data from human OA cartilage and GEO databases. An in vitro OA model was established via IL-1β induction in chondrocytes, through which HB-EGF was found to reverse the IL-1β-induced metabolic imbalance by downregulating catabolic markers (Mmp13, Adamts5) and upregulating anabolic markers (Acan, Col2a1). Further analysis revealed that HB-EGF enhanced mitophagy, as indicated by increased levels of Pink1, Parkin, and Lc3-II alongside decreased P62. These protective effects were attenuated by the mitophagy inhibitor Mdivi-1, confirming the dependence on this pathway. In conclusion, HB-EGF activates EGFR signaling to promote PINK1/ PARKIN-mediated mitophagy, which facilitates the clearance of damaged mitochondria and improves mitochondrial function, thereby restoring chondrocyte metabolic balance and delaying OA progression, suggesting the EGFR-mitophagy axis as a potential therapeutic target for OA.

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How a growth factor-controlled cell cleanup process helps keep cartilage healthy and may influence osteoarthritis

Abstract

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