Concentrations of the sex hormones, testosterone in men and estrogen in women, could have a positive effect on the regenerative potential of cartilage tissue, according to researchers from Germany.

As per the study, hormone replacement in the joint fluid of men and women can prove beneficial to treat late stages of human osteoarthritis (OA) by regenerating damaged tissue.

From Sciencedaily.com:

Nicolai Miosge, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues from the August University in Goettingen, Germany examined the regenerative potential of chondrogenic progenitor cells (CPCs) that are present in arthritic tissue during the late stages of OA. The research team speculated that these CPCs might be influenced by sex steroids, and therefore hormone replacement therapy directed to the joint fluid could be beneficial in restoring damaged tissue. Tissue samples from 372 patients who underwent total knee replacement were analyzed. The mean age was 71 years of age for men and 72 years for women, with women representing 64.25% of participants.

Estrogens are known to influence bone metabolism and researchers found that 17β-estradiol (E2), which increases calcium deposition in both sexes, was present in the joint fluid of study participants. CPCs positive for estrogen receptors (ERα and ERβ) as well as androgen receptors were present in the OA tissue as well. Both estrogen and testosterone influenced the expression of all 3 receptor genes and the CPCs by regulating gene expression.

The details of this evidence-based study appeared in the April issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, which is a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology.